Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime triumphed against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas with a 6-3, 7-5 victory during the Cincinnati Open’s second-round action on Sunday. Despite facing challenges with the wind in the second set and failing to close out the match at 5-4, Auger-Aliassime, the tournament’s second seed, managed to regain momentum and secure the win after breaking back in the following game. He clinched the victory with his seventh ace on match point.
Auger-Aliassime, who returned to competition after a 40-day hiatus, acknowledged the difficulties posed by the strong wind affecting his serve. However, he expressed satisfaction with his performance given his recent health struggles since Wimbledon. The Canadian player, 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.
In a separate match, women’s qualifier Xiyu Wang of China defeated 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., in a two-hour, two-minute battle. Wang, a former world No. 49 player, overcame a slow start to dominate the second and third sets, finishing with 23 winners, 35 unforced errors, two aces, and two double faults. Fernandez, who reached the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto, struggled with her game, managing only three return game wins and seven service game wins against Wang’s five and nine, respectively.