Photo: Mauricio Paiz||
Felix Auger-Aliassime just can’t stop winning in 2020.
The 19-year-old phenom began his quest to make three finals in three weeks in style, rolling over Alex Bolt 6-3, 7-6(5) in his round-of-32 match at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC on Tuesday night.
Auger-Aliassime, who is seeded fourth at the tournament, is coming off two straight finals appearances in Marseille and Rotterdam, and he’d like nothing more than a couple more wins and a chance to play for number three.
Félix Auger-Aliassime is making plenty of time for fans after his first-round win at the @AbiertoTelcel in Acapulco!
After a 6-3, 7-6(5) win over Alex Bolt, @felixtennis – who has done a lot of winning lately – is bringing his best 🤳 game after the match 😁#FelixRising pic.twitter.com/Ns5oVuK0mD
— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) February 26, 2020
Lucky loser Australian Alex Bolt couldn’t compete with some excellent shotmaking from his Canadian opponent in the first set.
After holding his first three service games, Auger-Aliassime capitalized on his third break point opportunity of the set at 3-2, opening up a 4-2 lead and giving the Montreal native all the cushion he needed to close out the set.
FAA’s serve was fantastic in the opener, as he blasted six aces past Bolt.
The second set was closer, as some great shotmaking from Bolt gave the 27 year old some the confidence he needed to generate two break opportunities at 3-3 on the Auger-Aliassime serve – but he was unable to convert. The Canadian was able to stave off two set points just a couple games later and regain momentum as the match headed into a second-set tiebreak.
Ultimately, it was Auger-Aliassime who dug deep in the crucial moments, executing a sequence of excellent shots up 6-5 in the tiebreaker to seal the victory after one hour, 35 minutes of play.
Auger-Aliassime now marches on to face World No. 45 Kyle Edmund in the round of 16.
He’ll have a much needed week off after the Mexican Open concludes, but if he can string together three more wins, it’ll be three finals in as many weeks for the young Canadian.
Fernandez continues to roll
17-year-old Leylah Annie Fernandez continues to step into the Canadian tennis spotlight, defeating Nina Stojanovic 6-4, 6-1 to reach the second round in Mexico.
After defeating defeating Lizette Cabrera and Varvara Lepchenko in the qualifying rounds, Fernandez won her third match in Acapulco in convincing fashion.
.@leylahfernandez breezes through her opening round at the @AbiertoTelcel, 6-4, 6-1 over Nina Stojanovic.
It’s the 17 year old’s second-ever @WTA main draw win just weeks after a confidence-inspiring victory over Belinda Bencic at Fed Cup. pic.twitter.com/wBo0wrCHSA
— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) February 26, 2020
Fernandez played some excellent tennis throughout the match, particularly on serve, as she won 32 service points to her opponent’s 20.
But most impressive was her play on return, as the recent Top 200 debutante broke Stojanovic five times all five break opportunities. Fernandez will play eighth-seeded Nao Hibino in the round of 16.
With both Fernandez and Auger-Aliassime scoring straight-sets victories at the Mexican Open within minutes of each other, it’s safe to say Canadians are off to an excellent start in Acapulco – let’s hope they can keep going.
(Feature photo: @AbiertoTelcel)
