Two days after lifting his first trophy in virtually 15 months, Félix Auger-Aliassime saved the great instances going a bit additional east on the southern Australian Coast as he kicked off his marketing campaign on the Australian Open with a four-set victory over Jan-Lennard Struff on Monday.
The Canadian No. 1 picked up the place he left off in Adelaide, driving his serve to a fast two-set lead. Struff was a difficult first-round draw and confirmed why as he rallied to take the third set, however there was no stopping Auger-Aliassime who dropped the hammer within the fourth to say a 6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 win.
It was the kind of clear, highly effective efficiency that Auger-Aliassime must ship on the massive tournaments as he ripped 47 winners, a dozen greater than his opponent and greater than double his 23 unforced errors. The serve was clicking as he put 70 per cent of his firsts in play, successful 80 per cent of them, firing 19 aces, and solely going through 4 break factors within the match. He additionally had learn on the German’s highly effective serve, creating 20 break factors and changing eight.
Auger-Aliassime didn’t take lengthy to grab the initiative within the first-round conflict. In simply the fifth recreation, he created a pair of break factors on the German’s mighty served and Struff missed a backhand on the second to provide the Canadian an early benefit, which he consolidated to like.
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As was the case typically in Adelaide, Auger-Aliassime clamped down on serve as soon as he had a break. He misplaced only one level on serve within the first set after shifting forward and broke once more to shut out the set, ending it off with a pleasant show of web expertise.
The Canadian carried the momentum into the second set, placing Struff below strain in his first service recreation. Auger-Aliassime missed a pair of forehands to let a 15-40 opening slip away however after Struff missed a forehand of his personal to provide the twenty ninth seed a 3rd probability, Auger-Aliassime put away a formidable tightly-angled smash to take a right away 2-0 lead.
Set two was one-way site visitors for the Canadian. Error after error poured off the German’s racket and Auger-Aliassime was completely satisfied to take benefit, breaking twice extra and saving the one break level he confronted on his personal serve with a forehand winner as he took the second set bagel in simply 29 minutes.
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Struff was in a position to mount a push down two units, giving Auger-Aliassime a style of his personal drugs within the third. The German lastly solved the Adelaide champion’s serve within the opening recreation, organising a break level with a forehand winner and the Canadian proceeded to overlook a backhand to give up the speedy break.
The German managed to journey that break within the first recreation by way of the third set, saving all six break factors he confronted within the set, a pair with aces, together with three as he served for it within the tenth recreation.
It seemed just like the comeback was actually on when Struff then broke once more to begin the fourth set however that’s the place Auger-Aliassime mentioned sufficient The Canadian broke again within the following recreation after which struck three straight aces within the following recreation to carry and successfully crush any momentum the German was constructing.
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Errors had been beginning to creep again into Struff’s recreation and a missed backhand within the fourth recreation on break level handed a 3-1 result in Auger-Aliassime. Now with the sting, the Canadian went into lockdown mode. He misplaced simply two factors the remainder of the best way, including one other break to shut out the set in half-hour and punch his ticket to the second spherical. He received the final six video games in a row after being damaged to begin the fourth set.
Subsequent up for Auger-Aliassime, who has received six matches in a row courting again to the United Cup, will likely be Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The Canadian has received all three of their earlier conferences, together with on this identical spherical at Melbourne Park in 2022 in 4 units.
Tickets for the Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Spherical tie between Canada and Hungary are actually on sale. Be a part of us February 1 and a pair of at IGA Stadium in Montreal, because the Canadian group begins their quest for the 2025 Davis Cup Remaining 8. To entry tickets at early-bird pricing, click on right here.
