Auger-Aliassime Moves to Round Four, Sinner Beats Diallo

Summary:

• Felix Auger-Aliassime made it into the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open with 7-6 (4), 4-2 against Arthur Rinderknech.
• World No. 1 Jannik Sinner beat Gabriel Diallo in a match disrupted by a stadium power outage and fire alarm.
• Adrian Mannarino upset 13th seed Tommy Paul to set up a clash with Sinner in the round of 16.

On a sweltering Monday afternoon in Cincinnati, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime booked his spot in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open with a 7-6 (4), 4-2 victory over France’s Arthur Rinderknech.

The match didn’t end well for the Frenchman, who was forced to retire after battling hard in the opening set and collapsing from the heat midway through the game. 

After receiving treatment, he returned to court but couldn’t complete the second set, calling it quits with the Québec native ahead.

Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, showed a top-form serve, producing seven aces and winning a blistering 87% of his first-serve points. 

The 25-year-old born in Montreal capitalized on two of his 11 break chances, while allowing Rinderknech just a single break point opportunity, one he couldn’t convert. The match lasted just over two hours, and the Canadian left the court looking fresh for his next challenge, represented by Benjamin Bonzi. 

The latter knocked out Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in a hard-fought 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4 battle earlier in the day.

Sinner Beats Diallo Despite Power Outage and Fire Alarm 

Later in the evening, the tournament saw its fair share of drama when a rather lengthy power outage that also sporadically tampered with the video review board hit the stadium during the clash between world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo. 

To top it all off, there was also a rogue stadium fire alarm that interrupted the second set.

Despite the string of disruptions, Sinner managed to hold his nerve and secure a 6-2, 7-6 (6) win. Diallo’s aggressive style was undone by inconsistency, as he hit 10 aces, which he matched with 10 double faults and also recorded a toll of 51 unforced errors, as opposed to Sinner’s total of 20.

Although Sinner didn’t fully showcase the dominance that has taken him to the top of the rankings, his ability to win the right points at the right time proved decisive. 

He converted three of his 12 break opportunities, while Diallo managed just one from three. Sinner also had the upper hand in both service and return stats, winning 73% of his service points and 46% on return, compared to Diallo’s 54% and 27% respectively.

With the win, Sinner moves into the round of 16, where he will face France’s Adrian Mannarino. The veteran left-hander produced one of the day’s surprises by coming from behind to defeat 13th-seeded American Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

It sets the stage for an intriguing next round, one where Auger-Aliassime and Sinner will both be looking to push deeper into the 2025 Cincinnati Open.