Eighty-seven minutes, no fuss
The back is fine. That is the short version of Felix Auger-Aliassime’s night in Cincinnati, and it took him one hour and 27 minutes to say it.
The Montrealer beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 overnight to reach the round of 16. The Argentinian hung around for a set and then vanished. Auger-Aliassime held all nine of his service games, broke three times from nine chances, and never once looked like a player who spent early August watching his home tournament from the sidelines.
His card for the night: six aces, five double faults, 19 winners, 22 unforced errors. Not spotless. Good enough by a distance.
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The layoff that cost him Montreal
Auger-Aliassime was seeded second at the National Bank Open earlier this month and never hit a ball in anger there. A back problem picked up in training pulled him out of his own city’s event before it started.
He was not the only name missing in Montreal. Jannik Sinner announced in late July that he would skip the tournament to protect his health. Carlos Alcaraz, still dealing with the wrist injury that cost him Wimbledon, was unable to play. Novak Djokovic withdrew as well.
Cincinnati has turned into the makeup exam. Auger-Aliassime opened on Sunday by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-5, his first match in over a month, and that answered the fitness question. Cerundolo answered the sharpness one.
Tiafoe waits in the last 16
The reward is Frances Tiafoe, who came through an all-American meeting with Learner Tien 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. That one ran two hours and ten minutes, more than 40 minutes longer than Auger-Aliassime spent on court.
Tiafoe will have the crowd. Auger-Aliassime has the fresher legs and a serve nobody laid a glove on Tuesday.
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