Roland-Garros | Auger-Aliassime, Fernandez and Shapovalov advance to third round

(Paris) 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 no. 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 21^e seeded in the tournament, will meet in the third round with the winner of the duel between the American Ben Shelton, 15^e 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, 31^e 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, 118^e 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, 23^e 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, 228^e in the world, has also reached the main draw in Paris by virtue of its protected classification.