Quebec’s Félix Auger-Aliassime defeated American Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (7), 6-1 to earn his ticket to the quarter-finals of the Halle grass tournament.
Auger-Aliassime saved a set point before winning the first set on his second opportunity.
The ninth racket in the world then had more ease in winning against its rival ranked 53e in the world. Auger-Aliassime earned the game’s first break of service in the third game of the second set. He came back two games later, and then the rest of the game was a formality.
He finished the match by breaking McDonald’s serve for the third time in a row with a powerful forehand winner. “It’s a very positive performance on my part, said Auger-Aliassime at the ATP microphone. The first set was typical of the grass game, with two good servers winning their service games. It’s the kind of round where whoever loses it will find it frustrating. »
Auger-Aliassime had 15 aces during the match and saved the only break point he conceded to his opponent. “Given the level at which I played in the second set, I think I would have had a chance of winning even if I hadn’t won the first set,” said Auger-Aliassime.
In the quarter-finals, Auger-Aliassime will face Pole Hubert Hurkacz, ranked 12e in the world. Hurkacz defeated Frenchman Ugo Humbert 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Favorite Daniil Medvedev advanced to the first round with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Belgium’s David Goffin. The Russian will now cross swords with Belarusian Ilya Ivashka in the second round. Medvedev, who regained the world No. 1 ranking on Monday, is still chasing a first title in 2022.
In another second-round match, Australian Nick Kyrgios showed second-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas the exit by winning 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.