Felix Auger-Aliassime snaps losing streak with win over Matteo Berrettini in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI – Felix Auger-Aliassime ended a five-match losing streak with a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Matteo Berrettini at the Cincinnati Open on Monday to set up a second-round clash with Adrian Mannarino.

The Canadian, who has struggled this season with a knee injury and at times apparent loss of confidence, suffered the first service break of the match in the fifth game and that was all the Italian would need to capture the first set.

But Auger-Aliassime turned the tables over the next two sets, never being broken again while finding the range with his forehand and moving well to extend points.

The 23-year-old beamed a broad smile when Berrettini’s forehand went long on match point, grateful for the bright spot in a thus far disappointing campaign.

“My mindset today was no matter what happens, I wanted to have the best attitude possible, the best effort from the first point to the last,” said Auger-Aliassime, who improved to 14-13 this season.

“Every win that I get, I’m happy, from now on. Of course the tournament has just started and I want to go further. I still have high ambitions. I never doubted myself.

“And I feel like I was able to turn that frustration from the first set – having break points and losing them, not being careful enough with my service game – and turning that into something positive to bounce back really strong.

“It has been a challenging season. I’ve been very fortunate. Every year I have grown in the game and improved my ranking but this year it’s a new challenge and I need to accept it as well...

“There are comments right and left, but at the end of the day I know my tennis didn’t leave me. I know I can still play great tennis and I’ve proved it today again. So I’m going to try to keep going that way and it’s a positive start. Let’s try to keep this rolling.”

World No. 14 Auger-Aliassime will look to keep his winning ways going in his first-ever meeting with Frenchman Mannarino.

Elsewhere, Australia’s Jordan Thompson toppled American John Isner in a pair of tiebreaks for a 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2) win in a match where neither player broke serve and Isner crushed 20 aces.

Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori and Nicolas Jarry of Chile also advanced in the morning before evening rain halted the play of several other first-round matches at the US Open tune-up event.

Andy Murray, meanwhile, pulled out of the tournament late on Monday as the Briton continues to recover from an abdominal strain.

In the women’s draw, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams says she is now playing at a better level than at the start of an injury-plagued season after sealing her first top-20 win in four years by beating Veronika Kudermetova on Monday.

The 43-year-old’s hopes of competing in the Australian Open in January were dashed after she suffered a hamstring problem at the rain-hit Auckland Classic and she returned only in June having decided to skip Roland Garros.

Williams, who injured her right knee during her Wimbledon defeat by Elina Svitolina in July, said she was happy to get past world No. 14 Kudermetova in Cincinnati after rain interrupted the contest.

“I think I’m at a better level than I started the year, to be honest,” said Williams.

“I was actually worried about the rain delay, because I’m traumatised by Auckland and all those rain delays and getting injured after that, cooling down and changing serves, going in. I’m like ‘Oh my god I can’t let that happen again to me’.”

Williams, currently ranked No. 533, overcame deficits in both sets to bag her first tour win since beating Camila Giorgi in the Birmingham first round and said playing more regularly had helped her build momentum.

“My serve is better. My second serve is better. It’s really about playing matches. You can’t replicate it. Especially after you take a large amount of time off,” Williams said. “You have to keep putting yourself in that position to just play.” REUTERS