Félix Auger-Aliassime is off to a winning start to the clay season as the 25-year-old from Montreal defeated veteran Marin Cilic 7-6(4), 6-3 in the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters second round on Wednesday.
Auger-Aliassime extended his win streak over Cilic to four, beating the former world No. 3 in their first meeting on the dirt.
It was a slow start for the Canadian No. 1 who was broken three times in the opening set while committing 19 of his 24 total unforced errors. However, Auger-Aliassime was at his best in the second as he fired 12 winners, finishing the match with 21.
Both players were deadlocked through the opening six games, each winning 17 points over that span. Cilic scored the match’s first break in the fourth game, but some unforced error trouble handed Auger-Aliassime the break back before the Canadian held to relevel the set at 3-3.
The next service hold came all the way in the 11th game after Auger-Aliassime and Cilic combined for four-straight breaks, including when the Montrealer was serving for the opener at 5-4.
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Auger-Aliassime forced a tiebreaker and waited patiently for the first mini-break. With Cilic on serve at 3-4, the Canadian No. 1 went on the attack to gain the 5-3 edge and later served out the set.
Auger-Aliassime found his rhythm in the second and turned up the aggressiveness. A pair of winners led the world No. 7 to a break opportunity at 1-2, 15-40, where a Cilic double fault gave the Canuck crucial advantage. On his delivery, Auger-Aliassime conceded just one point in his first three service games to power him to a 4-1 lead.
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The 25-year-old faced some pressure in the seventh game but managed to save break point with one of his three aces on the day, soon holding to go one-game away from the third round at 5-2.
Serving for the match, another Auger-Aliassime winner set him up with double match point at 5-3, 40-15, and the Canadian capitalized on the first attempt to seal the contest.
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Auger-Aliassime will meet world No. 12 Casper Ruud in round three on Thursday. The Montrealer has won his last three meetings with the Norwegian – two of those victories came on clay at the Paris Olympics and in Madrid two years ago.
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
