Felix Auger Aliassime overcame a tense start at the Cincinnati Open (Western & Southern Open) on Saturday (22/08) local time when the ATP tournament returns after five months of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
20-year-old Auger Aliassime extended his streak of 3-0 win over Nikoloz Basilashvili to a 6-4, 6-1 win after 76 minutes.
“I feel happy to be able to play again and get the win. I feel really good. Although I experienced a bit of tension and started the tournament again in different conditions than we are used to. Last month, I trained hard and I feel I got a source of strength within myself to claim victory today, “said Canadian national, Felix Auger Aliassime.
Auger Aliassime, who at the start of the 2020 season advanced to two finals, namely in Rotterdam (lost to Gael Monfils) and Marseille (lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas), will face Lorenzo Sonego or Tennys Sandgren in the second round.
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Auger Aliassime started his first game since 27 February with an ace, but then he caught three double fouls and fell behind. Meanwhile 15th seed Basilashvili bounced back to win three straight games from a 0-2 finish, including winning the fifth game which lasted 11 minutes.
However, two double fouls by Basilashvili at 4-5 rewarded Auger Aliassime with a first-set win that lasted 48 minutes.
Basilashvili made the same mistake at 1-2 in the second set to give Auger Aliassime a crucial advantage. From that point on, Auger Aliassime’s confidence increased and finished the match by snatching four games in a row.
“I got a little tense in the first set. I didn’t start out well enough. I was really nervous because I didn’t know what was going to happen, “admitted Auger Aliassime.
“The feeling I miss is the feeling when you win. That is the reason you compete. Of course we really like to compete, compete, shoot good shots, but at the same time, we are competitors. We want the final result. We want to win. To be able to get that in my first game, it doesn’t feel better than that. That confidence, that feeling within you, nothing else can compare to it.”
