After an excellent performance at the Paris Olympics, then a fall in the first round at the National Bank Open in Montreal, Félix Auger-Aliassime started the Cincinnati tournament on the right foot on Wednesday.
The Quebecer, ranked 19e in the world, ended a three-match losing streak in singles with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Dominant, Auger-Aliassime erased a 0-30 deficit while Kovacevic had the balls in hand to succeed in a second break in the second set and take a 4-0 lead. His opponent responded with a break in the next game, but he was never able to come from behind.
Auger-Aliassime served for the 5-1 victory and ended the hostilities with his first match point. He placed 50% of his first serves in play in the match, winning 73% of the rallies with this one and 58% with his second.
The meeting lasted 74 minutes.
This was the first match between Auger-Aliassime and Kovacevic. The latter qualified for the main draw of this Masters 1000 tournament with victories against the Spaniard Pedro Martinez (43e) and Australia’s Rinky Hijikata (65e), both ranked higher than him.
Auger-Aliassime will face Norwegian Casper Ruud (eighth) in the second round. The two men split the honours in their first six duels, but the Quebecer has had the upper hand in the last two. He won in the quarter-finals at the Paris Olympics, and in the round of 16 in Madrid.
Ruud is chasing a third ATP Tour title this year.
Auger-Aliassime made it to the semifinals of the singles tournament at the Paris Games, losing to eventual silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. He then lost the bronze medal match to Lorenzo Musetti of Italy. He still won bronze with Gabriela Dabrowski in the mixed doubles.
In Montreal, Auger-Aliassime was soundly defeated 6-3 and 6-2 in 68 minutes by the Italian Flavio Cobolli.
Quebecer Leylah Fernandez (27e) is also in action in Cincinnati, where she faces the Chinese Yue Yuan (40e).