Auger-Aliassime into second round in Cincinnati with win over qualifier Kovacevic

CINCINNATI – Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime cruised into the second round of the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament with a 6-3, 6-1 win over American qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic on Wednesday.

The Canadian picked up his fifth break of the match to go up 5-1 in the second set then served out for the win by converting his first match point.

Auger-Aliassime is looking to rebound from a first-round loss to Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in his hometown last week at the National Bank Open.

That came after a busy Paris Olympics that saw the 24-year-old win mixed-doubles bronze with Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski while also advancing to the bronze-medal match of the men’s singles competition.

Auger-Aliassime will next face Norway’s Casper Ruud in the second round of the Masters-level tournament.

The two last faced each other in the men’s singles quarterfinals at the Olympics, with Auger-Aliassime winning 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.

Later Wednesday, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., faced China’s Yue Yuan in a women’s first-round match.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2024.

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