Félix Auger-Aliassime continued his winning streak and successfully entered the Paris-Bercy Masters tournament on Tuesday by defeating Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets 7:6 (3) and 6:4.
The Quebecer has shown phenomenal momentum over the past week, having just defended his title in Basel in convincing fashion. As a semi-finalist in the French capital last year, the “FAA” appears to have the ammunition to go far.
Service was Auger-Aliassime’s main weapon in this battle. No less than 70% of his first balls were in play and he only lost six points in these circumstances. His 17 aces also allowed him to finish his games quickly.
The game became bitter for Struff. The German failed to break the Montrealer three times and quickly got a taste of his opponent’s medicine at the end of the first round. The 23-year-old tennis player won the fifth tiebreaker in a row.
“After I arrived from Basel I only had one day of training. I had to adapt to the conditions of the field and the balls during the game. Jan is not the type to give you a lot of rhythm with his big serve and volley. He did well, but I played an incredible tiebreaker, one of my best in a long time, and the second set also went well,” explained Auger-Aliassime in an interview with the Tennis Network Channel.
The 19th ranked female batter in the world will have to work hard in the next round as she will face the event’s seventh favorite, Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek received a bye in the first round.
“We have a long history that goes back to the youth ranks,” said the man who lost five of the eight duels against Tsitsipas. […] It’s always a challenge playing against him. The way I’m playing right now, I’m sure that if I do good things, I’ll give myself a chance to win.