FÉlix dispatches Mannarino, Fernandez falls to Jabeur in Madrid action

Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

It was a day of mixed results for Canadians on the clay in Madrid.

Félix Auger-Aliassime produced a near-flawless display, cruising past France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-4 in just 70 minutes to charge into the third round of the Madrid Open.

In a matchup against a veteran left-hander, the Canadian delivered a clinical and dominant performance from the very beginning.

Auger-Aliassime broke the Frenchman in the first game to love, and quickly imposed his control from the back of the court, as his heavy topspin groundstrokes disrupted Mannarino’s rhythm and timing.

It was one of three breaks of serve in the opening set from the Canadian, who had no trouble dictating and punishing the flatter shots of the world number 20. He calmly closed the opening set 6-0 with a strong inside-in forehand winner.

The 35-year-old veteran finally got on the scoreboard, holding serve to open the second, though that did little to halt Auger-Aliassime’s confidence.

The Montreal native secured his fourth break of the match to take a 3-2 lead and maintained his service dominance. The 21-year-old held in the final game to dispatch his opponent comfortably, 6-0, 6-4.

Auger-Aliassime won 87% of points on his first serve through the match, while converting four of seven break point opportunities in the victory.

It’s his first win over a top 20 player this season, as he evens his head-to-head with the Frenchman at one match win apiece.

He’ll now face Czechia’s Jakub Mensik in the next round.

Jabeur uses late comeback to beat Fernandez in Madrid

Ons Jabeur kept her composure late, overcoming Leylah Annie Fernandez 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 24 minutes to advance to the round of 16 at the Madrid Open.

In a showdown of two seeded opponents and former Grand Slam finalists, it was the veteran Tunisian and world number nine who got the better of her 21-year-old opponent.

Initially, it was a strong start to the match for the Canadian.

Read: NCAA Update – Bianca Fernandez climbing up the rankings

Fernandez opened quickly by breaking the three-time Grand Slam finalist and raced out to a 3-0 lead. The crafty Tunisian responded, mixing in delicate angles, and improving her depth of shot to get back on serve at 3-3.

The players would remain on serve until Jabeur eventually applied more pressure in the late stages of the opening set, getting a pivotal break at 5-all as Fernandez committed a foot fault to drop her serve.

She would close out matters on serve, seizing the opener 7-5.

However, the Laval native bounced back in the second set, with much improved serving and consistency.

She made the first notable move on the scoreboard in the sixth game, breaking for a 4-2 lead as Jabeur fired an unforced error into the net. The 32^nd seed stayed aggressive and in control, closing with four consecutive games to roll to the second set, 6-2.

Fernandez committed just six unforced errors, while winning 19 of 26 points on serve.

It set the stage for a compelling final set.

The Canadian saved an early break point chance in the opening game of the third, then broke to take a 2-0 lead; she quickly relinquished the advantage as Jabeur continued to attack and punish her second serve. The 21-year-old from Montreal again gained the upper hand, using her forehand wing to build a 4-2 edge.

However, the Tunisian would not be denied. Jabeur closed in a flurry, rallying to win the final four games to take the 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

It’s the 29-year-old’s first time winning consecutive matches all season.

She will face 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 16.

Written By

Ben Lewis