Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime triumphed in his comeback match, defeating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open. Despite facing challenges with the wind in the second set and failing to close the match at 5-4, Auger-Aliassime, the second seed, regrouped to secure victory by breaking back and serving out the match with his seventh ace on match point. Reflecting on the tough conditions, Auger-Aliassime, who had been sidelined for 40 days since Wimbledon due to health issues, expressed relief at his successful return to the court.
Auger-Aliassime, having historically struggled against Tsitsipas, celebrated only his fourth win in 11 encounters with the Greek player. His next opponent will be Juan Cerundolo from Argentina, who upset 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech of France in a thrilling encounter. Cerundolo, with a 1-2 record against Auger-Aliassime, is poised to challenge the Canadian in the upcoming match.
In the women’s competition, Chinese qualifier Xiyu Wang defeated 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Quebec, in a hard-fought battle lasting two hours and two minutes. Wang, once ranked 49th in the world, staged a strong comeback after a slow start against Fernandez, who recently reached the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto. The match statistics revealed Wang’s dominance with 23 winners and a solid performance in both service and return games, ultimately overcoming Fernandez’s resistance.