Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime triumphed in his comeback match at the Cincinnati Open, defeating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-5 in the second round. Auger-Aliassime, the second seed at the tournament, encountered challenges with the wind during the second set but managed to break back when Tsitsipas was serving for the match at 5-4. The 26-year-old eventually sealed the victory with his seventh ace on match point.
Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the difficult conditions caused by the wind, especially affecting his serve. Despite the challenges, he expressed satisfaction with his performance after a 40-day break from competitive play since Wimbledon, noting his health struggles in recent weeks. Auger-Aliassime’s win against Tsitsipas marked only his fourth victory in their 11 encounters.
Looking ahead, Auger-Aliassime is set to face Juan Cerundolo of Argentina in the next round. Cerundolo, who has a 1-2 record against Auger-Aliassime, caused an upset by defeating 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France in a closely contested match on Sunday.
In the women’s event, qualifier Xiyu Wang from China overcame 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., in a hard-fought battle lasting two hours and two minutes. Wang, aged 25 and previously ranked No. 49 in the world, staged a comeback after dropping the first set against Fernandez. Despite Fernandez’s recent success at the National Bank Open in Toronto, she struggled against Wang’s strong performance, with Wang finishing with more winners and fewer unforced errors compared to Fernandez.
