Canadian Auger-Aliassime wins in opening round of Italian Open, Andreescu withdraws

ROME — Felix Auger-Aliassime is heading to the second round of the Italian Open, while fellow Canadian Bianca Andreescu has withdrawn.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 Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic with a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 win Sunday.

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 that she may have to isolate again if she travels to Italy.

“Although I have tested negative following my isolation period in Madrid and having been back in full training the last few days, the Italian government rules put me at risk of being isolated again if I travel to Italy,” Andreescu wrote.

“So unfortunately I have to withdraw from the Italian Open this year.”

Sunday marked Auger-Aliassime’s first win in three attempts against Krajinovic.

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.

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.

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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2021.

The Canadian Press