Auger-Aliassime gets payback in Rome with 1st career win over Filip Krajinovic
The Canadian Press | Posted: May 9, 2021 2:16 PM | Last Updated: May 9, 2021
Fellow Canadian Bianca Andreescu withdraws from event after foot injury, virus
Felix Auger-Aliassime is heading to the second round of the Italian Open, while fellow Canadian Bianca Andreescu has withdrawn.
Auger-Aliassime, from Montreal, exacted some revenge on Filip Krajinovic with a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 win Sunday, his first against the Serbian in three career meetings.
Krajinovic defeated Auger-Aliassime in the first round of the ATP Tour Masters 1000 clay-court event last year.
Andreescu, the sixth seed on the women's side, was scheduled to return after retiring from the final of Miami Open with a foot injury last month, then testing positive for COVID-19.
However, she said in a post on Instagram she may have to isolate again if she travels to Italy.
Auger-Aliassime, ranked 20th in the world, broke the 36th-ranked Krajinovic in the final game to finish off a match that lasted just over two hours 45 minutes.
Shapovalov draws qualifier in 1st match
The Canadian was better on first serve, earning 71 per cent of points when he got it in as compared to 60 per cent for Krajinovic.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime into 2nd round after 3-set win:
Auger-Aliassime was coming off a straight-sets loss to Norway's Casper Ruud in last week's ATP Tour Masters 1000 stop in Madrid.
Auger-Aliassime will face No. 8 seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina in the second round. Schwartzman won their only previous meeting in three sets last year on an indoor hard-court in Cologne, Germany.
No. 13 seed Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., is the only other Canadian in the men's singles draw. He will face a qualifier in the first round.
WATCH | Should COVID-19 cases among athletes affect Olympic protocols?