Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime advances to second round in Hamburg

HAMBURG – Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the second-round of the Hamburg Open clay-court tennis tournament with a 6-2, 7-6 (2) win over Italian Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old dominated the first set in a match that lasted one hour 47 minutes, giving up just four points on serve.

The world No. 21 had a tougher time in the second set, saving two break points in the 11th game before finally winning the set in a tiebreaker.

Auger-Aliassime will next face Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, who defeated Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-2, 7-6 (5) on Tuesday.

Auger-Aliassime has had mixed results since returning to competition after COVID-19 caused the ATP Tour to take a months-long hiatus. After making the round of 16 at the U.S. Open, Auger-Aliassime was eliminated in his first game last week in Rome.

He is seeded 20th in the men’s draw at the French Open, which starts Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2020.