Felix Auger-Aliassime’s back injury, which kept him from participating in the National Bank Open in his home city earlier this month, seems to be recovering well.
The 26-year-old tennis player from Montreal moved on to the Round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open after triumphing over Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo with a score of 7-5, 6-1 on Tuesday night.
Auger-Aliassime required just one hour and 27 minutes to secure victory in the Round of 32 singles match against Cerundolo. He is set to compete against Frances Tiafoe, who won against Learner Tien with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a two-hour and 10-minute all-American match on Tuesday night.
In his initial match on Sunday, Auger-Aliassime bested Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece with scores of 6-3, 7-5.
During the match against Cerundolo, Auger-Aliassime recorded six aces, committed five double faults, made 22 unforced errors, and hit 19 winners. He successfully converted three out of nine return games and won all nine of his service games.
Earlier this month, Auger-Aliassime had to withdraw from the NBO in Montreal due to a back injury he sustained during practice leading up to the tournament. He was ranked as the No. 2 seed in the prestigious Canadian event.
World No. 1 and reigning Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner revealed in late July that he would miss the NBO to focus on his health. World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who did not participate in Wimbledon due to a wrist injury, was also unable to compete in Montreal. Furthermore, Novak Djokovic, the male record holder for Grand Slam titles with 24, also withdrew from the event.