Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime marked his comeback with a victory over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, prevailing 6-3, 7-5. Despite facing challenges with the wind in the second set and failing to close out the match at 5-4, Auger-Aliassime managed to break back in the following game and secure the win with a powerful ace on match point.
After a 40-day hiatus from competition since Wimbledon, Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the difficulties posed by the windy conditions but expressed satisfaction with his performance, especially given recent health setbacks. This win against Tsitsipas, only the fourth in their 11 encounters, sets up a match against Juan Cerundolo of Argentina in the next round.
Meanwhile, in the women’s event, Xiyu Wang of China defeated 30th-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., in a hard-fought battle lasting two hours and two minutes. Wang, a former world No. 49, displayed resilience after a slow start, recording 23 winners and advancing to the next round. Fernandez, who reached the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto, faced challenges with her service and returns, ultimately falling short against Wang’s consistent performance.