Quebecers Félix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Annie Fernandez had to be patient, but they finally managed to qualify for the third round of the French Open tennis tournament on Thursday.
Auger-Aliassime ignored the numerous interruptions caused by the rain on court number 9 before defeating the German Henri Squire 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and 6-2 after two hours and 36 minutes of play in the second round.
The Quebecois, the 21e seeded in the tournament, will meet in the third round with the winner of the duel between the American Ben Shelton, 15e seeded, and the Japanese Kei Nishikori — the one who eliminated Montrealer Gabriel Diallo in the first round, in the curtain raiser of the tournament on Sunday.
Auger-Aliassime was joined a few minutes later by his compatriot Fernandez, 31e top seed, who defeated China’s Xiyu Wang 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 24 minutes.
The 21-year-old Quebecer will meet in the third round with Tunisian Ons Jabeur, who defeated Colombian Camila Osorio 6-3, 1-6 and 6-3 in the second round on Wednesday.
Fernandez will then try to take her revenge against Jabeur, who beat her 7-5, 2-6 and 6-4 in the round of 32 of the Madrid Open last month.
Ontarian Denis Shapovalov also advanced to the third round after defeating American Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 and 6-4. Shapovalov, 118e world racket, will cross swords in the next round with the Pole Hubert Hurkacz, eighth seed, who disposed of the American Brandon Nakashima 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-3 and 7-6 (5) earlier during the day.
For her part, the Ontarian Bianca Andreescu will meet at the end of the program with the Russian Anna Kalinskaya, 23e first in the series. Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, beat Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5, 6-1 in the first round.
It was her first victory in 10 months, since she had not played a match since her back injury suffered at the National Bank Open in Montreal last August. Andreescu, 228e in the world, has also reached the main draw in Paris by virtue of its protected classification.