Félix Auger-Aliassime has been at his best with the US Open just around the corner.
The 25-year-old from Montreal earned a second-consecutive straight-sets win to begin his Cincinnati Open campaign, defeating Juan Manuel Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 in the third round on Tuesday.
The Canadian No. 1’s serve was unplayable on the night as he won 90 per cent of his first-serve points (28/31) while saving the only break point he faced. On return, the three-time Cincinnati quarter-finalist secured three-straight breaks that led him to the opening set and 4-0 advantage in the second before he sealed the contest.
Auger-Aliassime was firing on his delivery to start the match as half of his opening ten service points won came off unreturned serves, recording three aces in the process. The Montrealer’s serve cooled off a little bit in the fifth game after a double fault forced him to save break point at 30-40, which he did successfully to stay slightly in front at 3-2.
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The rest of the way, it was Auger-Aliassime who applied most of the pressure. The 25-year-old rallied from 4-5, 40-love, to force deuce before Cerundolo held after nine minutes to extend the opener. Then, at 5-6, a handful of unforced errors from the Argentine handed the set to the Canadian.
Auger-Aliassime’s string of breaks continued into the second as the world No. 4 cruised. The Canuck won over half of his return points in the set, securing back-to-back breaks to hold a commanding 4-0 lead.
From 4-0, love-15, Auger-Aliassime won eight-straight service points on his way to the finish line, wrapping up the match in under an hour-and-a-half.
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The Canadian is guaranteed to play an American seed in the round of 16 as he awaits the winner of Learner Tien (16th) and Frances Tiafoe (17th).
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Feature Photo: ATP Tour
