Felix Auger Aliassime secured his first win at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis Tournament after beating the Belorussian qualifier Egor Gerasimov in three sets 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours and nine minutes.
The Canadian served eight aces and hit 27 winners in the win to reach the second round of the tournament.
“He played well, to be honest, and he started really well playing some good tennis also serving very well and I had some chances to break so credit to him for playing well and dictating the play,” said Auger-Aliassime. “I loosened up in the second set and I started going for my shots a little bit more and was more precise with my targets and serving better.”
The first set stayed on serve until 2-1 when the Montreal native had a chance to break but the world number 126 managed to save it and held serve.
The very next game Gerasimov put immense pressure on the Canadian’s serve and managed to break him to love as Auger Aliassime double-faulted on triple breakpoint.
Gerasimov was able to consolidate the break and at 5-3 with the world number nine serving to stay in the set the Belorussian was able once again to break him to love to take the first set.
The second was much like the first except with the difference being that Auger-Aliassime was able to get his first break of serve to take a 3-2 lead and turned that into a double break before serving out the second set to send the match into a decider.
” By the middle of the second set, I felt more comfortable and it’s good that it kept going like that and I felt like I was playing better and better as the match went on so it’s a good win,” Auger-Aliassime explained.
Winning the second set gave Auger Aliassime the motivation he needed and he kept the momentum going at the beginning of the third set, earning a breakpoint and breaking Gerasimov’s serve with a powerful return winner for the early 1-0 lead.
After consolidating the break the world number nine had two chances to go up a double break but the Belorussian was able to save both. Then in the very next game he broke right back to go back on serve at 2-2.
The Canadian responded by breaking right back and was able to hold serve and went up a double break breaking the world number 126 with a stunning passing shot.
He served out the match to book a second-round encounter with Andy Murray.
“Andy is always going to be tricky as long as he is playing so it’s an interesting matchup for them tonight and exciting match for me tomorrow (Thursday),” he said.
Murray handles Bublik
In the first match of the night session, Murray set up a second-round match Auger Aliassime after beating the Montpelier champion Alexander Bublik in straight sets 7-6, 6-4 in one hour and 35 minutes.
The Brit served 10 aces and won 74% of his first-serve points to win a match that had plenty of twists and turns.
“I thought I did well and that was good progress from where I was in Australia,” said Murray. “I feel I played better tennis and I felt tonight was the type of way I wanted to play matches. I feel like I am going in the right direction”.
In the first set, both players had no issues holding serve until 3-2 when Murray had a chance to break but the Kazak was able to save it and hold serve and at 5-5 Bublik broke serve after the Brit served a poor service game.
In the following game with Bublik serving for the first set, Murray was able to break right back breaking the Kazak at love with a stunning passing shot on breakpoint to reach the tiebreaker.
The Brit jumped out to a 3-0 lead and that lead was enough for him to serve out the breaker and take the first set.
The second set again stayed on serve until 3-3 when the world number 95 earned two chances to break serve and broke to take a 4-3 lead. That one break was enough to serve out the match and the win.
In his post-match press conference, Murray was asked if he was pleased that he was able to close out the match in straight sets.
” I honestly haven’t had matches like that recently, certainly against top player,s and that’s where my concentration and my commitment to playing the right way every point and every situation in the match certainly helped with that and I was clinical tonight”. He said.
Day 3 results
In the other results of the day, Alex De Minaur needed three sets to beat the lone American in the draw Mackenzie Macdonald 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted two hours and 29 minutes on court one.
Lorenzo Musetti was also pushed to three sets by the number four seed and Pole Hubert Hurkacz but managed to beat him 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in two hours and four minutes on Center Court.
Soonwoo Kwon beat the Frenchman Hugo Gaston in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, only needing one hour and 17 minutes while Ilya Ivashka had no issues getting by the South African Lloyd Harris 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 11 minutes.
Marton Fucsovics, who made the final last year in Rotterdam, came back from losing the first set against the Serb Filip Krajinovic and beat him in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 47 minutes.
In the final match of the day Cameron Norrie was able to beat the Russian Karen Khachanov in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 in one hour and 48 minutes by serving four aces and winning 68% of his first serve points.
Day 4 preview
Thursday order of play features some amazing matchups and play starts on Center Court with the Dutch favorite Botic Van De Zandschulp taking on the Czech qualifier Jiri Lehecka who upset Denis Shapovalov in round one.
Andrey Rublev who is looking to defend his title faces the South Korean Soonwoo Kwon while Stefanos Tsitsipas the tournament top seed will face Ilya Ivashka.
In the night session Auger Aliassime will indeed face Murray in what looks like the match of the day and finally Tallon Greikspoor will face Marton Fucsovics in the last match.
