Felix Auger-Aliassime experienced the fast-paced nature of New York, known as the city that never sleeps. Following a delayed start and a lengthy match lasting three hours and 19 minutes, including a rain delay, the Montreal tennis player can relate to the bustling energy of The Big Apple.
As the third-ranked player at the U.S. Open, Auger-Aliassime secured victory in his first-round singles match on Monday evening by defeating Rinky Hijiata from Australia with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Reflecting on the match, Auger-Aliassime mentioned facing challenges from his opponent, whom he has known since childhood, but expressed his satisfaction with advancing to the next round.
During the match, the Canadian showcased an impressive performance with 17 aces, 48 winners, and 11 double faults, along with 50 unforced errors. Auger-Aliassime won 18 out of 22 service games and six out of 21 return games. He is set to compete against Russian player Karen Khachanov in the next round, who triumphed over Roman Burruchaga of Argentina in straight sets.
In other matches, Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ont., will face Luca Van Assche from France in his second-round men’s singles match on Wednesday. Shapovalov secured a victory over Miomir Kecmanovic from Serbia in four sets, while Van Assche defeated Britain’s Cameron Norrie, also in four sets.
Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Que., is scheduled to play her second-round women’s singles match against Mananchaya Sawangkaew from Thailand on Wednesday. Fernandez emerged victorious against Shuai Zhang from China in straight sets, while Sawangkaew defeated Panna Udvardy from Hungary in straight sets as well.