Auger-Aliassime returns from injury to beat Tsitsipas in Cincinnati

Felix AugerAliassime marked his return to competition with a straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday, defeating the Greek 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the third round of the Cincinnati Open. The win, which came on August 16, 2026, was the Canadian's first match in 40 days following a back injury that forced him to withdraw from the National Bank Open in Montreal.

The No. 2 seed navigated challenging, windy conditions at the Grandstand Court to secure his 31st win of the season. AugerAliassime served seven aces and won 26 return points, breaking Tsitsipas four times. The second set became difficult as the wind picked up, with AugerAliassime failing to serve out the match while leading 5-4. However, he broke back immediately and closed the victory on his seventh ace.

"It got really windy and the wind was kind of pushing against me, I had no power on my serve, so it was a tricky ending," AugerAliassime said in his on-court interview. "Luckily I was able to get the break back and serve it out better this time." He noted that for a first match back after a health issue, the performance was positive and the statistics from the baseline were clean.