Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime advances to second round at Mexican Open

ACAPULCO, Mexico — Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime is moving on at the Mexican Open.

The No. 7 seed from Montreal downed American Tennys Sandgren in straight sets on Monday in the first round of the ATP-500 level tournament in Acapulco.

Auger-Aliassime took the match 6-3, 7-6(8) — needing one hours 42 minutes to topple his 58th-ranked opponent.

The Canadian evened their head-to-head record, with Sandgren winning their only other meeting at the 2020 ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. 

Auger-Aliassime will face either Croatia’s Marin Cilic or Sebastian Kordo of the United States in the second round.

Meanwhile, Leylah Annie Fernandez of Laval, Que., topped American Coco Vandeweghe in the first round of the Monterrey Open.

Fernandez took the first ever meeting between the two 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour.

She’ll face either top-seeded Sloane Stephens of the U.S., or Slovakia’s Kristina Kucova in Round 2.

Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard is hoping to ride her recent momentum when she plays China’s Zhu Lin at the Monterrey Open Tuesday. 

Bouchard jumped from 144th to 116th in the world rankings by reaching the finals last week at the Guadalajara Open — another W-T-A 250-level tournament. 

Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., seeded No. 4, hits the court Tuesday for first-round action at the Mexican Open against American Tommy Paul, who is currently ranked 51st in the world.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2021.

The Canadian Press