CINCINNATI — Canadian tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime ended a five-match losing streak with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Italy's Matteo Berrettini on Monday in first-round action at the Cincinnati Masters.
The 23-year-old from Montreal served to love in the final game, going up 30-love with his ninth ace of the match and winning a seven-shot rally on his first match point.
After a breakout season that saw him win four tournaments, lead Canada to a Davis Cup title and reach a career-high ranking of sixth on the ATP Tour, Auger-Aliassime has had a difficult 2023 campaign.
He entered Cincinnati with a 13-13 record on the season and saw his world ranking dip to No. 14. His five match-losing streak came against opponents ranked between No. 78 and No. 130.
But he rallied to win a tough first-round matchup against Berrettini, who entered the match with a 4-1 career edge in head-to-head matchups against the Canadian.
Berrettini is ranked 38th in the world, but like Auger-Aliassime reached No. 6 last year.
After dropping the first set, Auger-Aliassime dominated the second with breaks in the fourth and eighth games.
Auger-Aliassime took a crucial break to go up 4-2 in the third set when Berrettini hit into a double fault on break point.
Auger-Aliassime will next face French veteran Adrian Mannarino in the first career meeting between the players.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.
The Canadian Press
