Posted Mar 25, 2023 5:47pm ET
Updated March 25, 2023 9:44 PM ET
Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada plays a forehand return to Alex Molcan of Slovakia during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, January 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
MIAMI – Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Brazilian Thiago Monteiro 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8) on Saturday to reach the third round of the Miami Open.
The Montreal native fired 12 aces and 32 winners while earning 86 percent of first-serve points. However, he committed seven double faults, 23 unforced errors and missed the break on all five of his opportunities.
Monteiro had four aces, 19 winners, and won 75 percent of first serve points. But the Brazilian was held without a break point chance and made 25 unforced errors.
After much back and forth in the second tiebreak, Auger-Aliassime fired a winner to take a 9-8 lead. A forced error from Monteiro then sealed victory for the Canadian in the two-hour, 41-minute match.
In the women’s doubles, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend from the USA secured their tickets for the second round. The duo defeated Hungary’s Timea Babos and France’s Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 7-6 (3).
In women’s doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa and her partner Luisa Stefani of Brazil lost 4-6, 6-2, 5-10 to American Bernarda Pera and Poland Magda Linette in a tight match that lasted one hour and 25 minutes.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on March 25, 2023.
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