Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada returns a ball to Max Purcell of Australia during National Bank Open tennis in Toronto, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Auger-Aliassime ended a five-match losing streak with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Italy's Matteo Berrettini on Monday in first-round action at the Cincinnati Masters. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
CINCINNATI – Canadian tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime ended a five-match losing streak with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini on Monday in first-round action at the Cincinnati Masters.
The 23-year-old from Montreal served to love in the final game, going up 30-love with his ninth ace of the match and winning a seven-shot rally on his first match point.
After a breakout season that saw him win four tournaments, lead Canada to a Davis Cup title and reach a career-high ranking of sixth on the ATP Tour, Auger-Aliassime has had a difficult 2023 campaign.
He entered Cincinnati with a 13-13 record on the season and saw his world ranking dip to No. 14. His five match-losing streak came against opponents ranked between No. 78 and No. 130.
But he rallied to win a tough first-round matchup against Berrettini, who entered the match with a 4-1 career edge in head-to-head matchups against the Canadian.
Berrettini is ranked 38th in the world, but like Auger-Aliassime reached No. 6 last year.
After dropping the first set, Auger-Aliassime dominated the second with breaks in the fourth and eighth games.
Auger-Aliassime took a crucial break to go up 4-2 in the third set when Berrettini hit into a double fault on break point.
Auger-Aliassime will next face French veteran Adrian Mannarino in the first career meeting between the players.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.
