Montreal’s tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime marked his successful comeback at the Cincinnati Open by defeating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas with a score of 6-3, 7-5 in the second round on Sunday. Auger-Aliassime, seeded second at this prestigious tournament, faced challenges with the windy conditions in the second set and missed the opportunity to close out the match at 5-4. However, the 26-year-old managed to break back in the following game and secured victory with his seventh ace on match point.
Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime commented on the adverse weather conditions, stating, “It got really windy, and the wind was working against me, affecting my serve. Despite the tricky ending, I was fortunate to regain the break and serve out the match successfully, this time with the wind in my favor.” The Canadian player, who had not competed since Wimbledon due to health issues, expressed his satisfaction with the win following a challenging period.
Auger-Aliassime’s win over Tsitsipas marked only the fourth victory out of 11 encounters between the two players. His next opponent will be Juan Cerundolo of Argentina, whom he has faced three times, winning twice. Cerundolo caused an upset on Sunday by defeating 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France in a tight match.
In the women’s event, Chinese qualifier Xiyu Wang defeated 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Quebec, with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in a match lasting two hours and two minutes. Wang, aged 25 and previously ranked 49th globally, struggled initially but showcased a strong performance from the second set onwards. Fernandez, who reached the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto, faced challenges in the match, winning only three of 12 return games and seven of 12 service games.
The encounter saw Wang finishing with 23 winners, 35 unforced errors, two aces, and two double faults, while Fernandez recorded 11 winners, 26 unforced errors, seven double faults, and one ace. Wang managed to win five of 12 return games and nine of 12 service games, outperforming Fernandez in crucial aspects of the match.