(Dubai) Félix Auger-Aliassime worked hard before finally beating American Maxime Cressy 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3 in the first round of the Dubai men’s tennis tournament on Tuesday.
Auger-Aliassime, the tournament’s fourth seed, ousted Cressy after a three-hour marathon on cement in the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, he improved his career record against 36e world player at 1-1, having lost to him last year at Wimbledon.
Cressy gave the Quebecer a hard time with his serve; he fired a total of 27 aces, more than double Auger-Aliassime (13).
PHOTO: KAMRAN JEBREILI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Maxime Cressy
His game, however, was affected by a lot of trash. Cressy committed 25 double faults, against only one for the representative of the maple leaf.
Moreover, it was a frustrating game for Auger-Aliassime, who was only able to convert one of his 14 break points against Cressy. The latter has also broken the ninth racket in the world once in three opportunities.
Cressy concluded the match with 50 winners, against 37 for the 22-year-old tennis player, and he committed 29 unforced errors, against 13 for the Canadian.
In the next round, Auger-Aliassime will cross swords with Lorenzo Sonego. The Quebecer has a career record of 2-0 against the Italian, after notably eliminating him last week at the Rotterdam tournament.