On the heels of his win over Luca Nardi within the opening spherical of the Monte-Carlo Masters, Félix Auger-Aliassime fell to Lorenzo Sonego (6-4, 7-5) in a two-hour two-setter.
Félix was initially slated to go head-to-head in opposition to Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of their current showdown in Indian Wells, however plans modified when the Spaniard was compelled to withdraw on account of an arm harm. Simply because the draw gave the impression to be opening up for the Canadian, fortunate loser Sonego—a proficient clay courtroom specialist—was thrown within the combine.
Within the tight first set, Auger-Aliassime simply received his first two service video games at love however got here up quick on serve at 4-4. With the primary three break factors of the match, Sonego proved that the third time’s a appeal. He secured the break and didn’t cease till he’d sealed the set.
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Within the second, the Canadian rapidly discovered his bearings to forge forward 4-1, however Sonego dug deep and capitalized on FAA’s unforced errors to degree the rating at 5-5. Constructing on his momentum, he saved the stress on Félix and acquired maintain of a 6-5 lead on his third break of the match.
By no means one to surrender, Auger-Aliassime pulled out all of the stops to battle off 5 match factors and pressure Sonego to provide his finest tennis, however it was the Italian who had the ultimate phrase.
In the long run, there wasn’t rather a lot separating the 2 opponents. Sonego received 51% of the factors with solely 4 unforced errors in comparison with Félix’s 13. Regardless of their comparable stats on serve, Sonega was more practical on break factors, locking in 3 of seven versus just one of three for the Canadian.
The match marks Lorenzo Sonego’s second win in 4 matches in opposition to Félix Auger-Aliassime. Within the subsequent spherical, the Italian battles Ugo Humbert (14) of France.
