ATP Tour

Auger-Aliassime powers past Cerundolo, Tiafoe survives Tien in Cincinnati

Felix Auger-Aliassime stepped up a gear Tuesday at the Cincinnati Open, where he defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 to advance to the fourth round at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

After defeating former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in two closely-fought sets in his opener, the Canadian faced another challenge against World No. 51 Cerundolo. Auger-Aliassime again had to work for the opening set, but once the door opened, he wasted no time in sealing the victory.

"It was a tricky start," Auger-Aliassime, the No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, said following his win. "He is a lefty and you don't play them often. He plays at a different pace... You have to find the right adjustments and once I did that, I felt more comfortable."

The second seed relied on his explosive ball-striking and booming forehand to keep Cerundolo under pressure. The Canadian earned a crucial break at 6-5 in the first set, capitalising on an error-prone game from the Argentine to clinch the opener. Auger-Aliassime then raced through the second set, motoring to victory in one hour and 26 minutes.

Against the Argentine, the 26-year-old won 90 per cent (28/31) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. While he served with conviction and dictated play from the back of the court, the Canadian also showed plenty of conviction in the forecourt, winning 11 of 13 points when he came forward.

Auger-Aliassime has now reached at least the fourth round in Cincinnati five times in the past six years. The next test for the Canadian in Ohio will be a meeting with the 2024 finalist Frances Tiafoe. The Canadian leads 3-1 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry.

In the final match of the night, Frances Tiafoe held firm to outlast fellow American and good friend Learner Tien 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a two-hour, nine-minute battle. Both players refused to yield, trading explosive baseline exchanges and spectacular rallies, keeping the P&G Stadium Court crowd on edge before Tiafoe earned a decisive break at 3-3 in the third set. The 28-year-old stayed composed from there, sealing the win with his ninth ace of the match.

"He [Learner] is annoying as hell," Tiafoe joked after the match. "Gets so many balls back and keeps making you play. [It felt like] I just got finished.... My body is not feeling the best, but these matches are big. We just have to get through and have the chance to play at our maximum."

Watch highlights from Tiafoe vs. Tien in Cincinnati:

In other action in Ohio, tenth seed Lorenzo Musetti eased past American qualifier Michael Zheng 6-1, 6-3 in 70 minutes. With the victory, the Italian improved to 16-1 vs. players ranked outside the Top 50 since October last year. The 24-year-old will next face Jaime Faria.

Portuguese qualifier Faria, who shocked Ben Shelton in the second round, earned another memorable win Tuesday in Cincinnati. The 23-year-old rallied past Adam Walton 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) to advance to the fourth round at a Masters 1000 event for the first time.