Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime marked a successful comeback to the tennis court by defeating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Sunday. Despite being the second seed in the tournament, Auger-Aliassime faced challenges with the wind during the match, especially in the second set where he missed the opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4.
The 26-year-old Canadian managed to break back in the following game and eventually secured the victory by hitting his seventh ace on match point. Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the difficult conditions caused by the wind, stating that it affected his serve power. However, he expressed satisfaction with his performance after being absent from the court for 40 days since Wimbledon, citing recent health issues.
This win against Tsitsipas marked only the fourth victory for Auger-Aliassime out of their 11 matchups. Auger-Aliassime, who had to withdraw from the National Bank Open due to a back injury, will now face Juan Cerundolo of Argentina in the next round. Cerundolo, with a 1-2 record against Auger-Aliassime, caused an upset by defeating 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) on Sunday.
In the women’s event later that day, 30th seed Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, competed against China’s Wang Xiyu.