Prior to the draw, Felix Auger-Aliassime stated that he was wary of his first-round encounter against Finland’s Emmy Rossovoori. He was right to be on guard.
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Quebec’s hands were full from start to finish, which ended in five sets (6-4, 0-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4). The duel lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes.
After a difficult first round, Auger-Aliassime stagnated in the next two rounds. During this series, Rosovori won seven games in a row. Everything he hit turned out to be winners.
Lagging 2-1 in the sets, goalkeeper Fred Fontang kept his cool. I’ve got to work. Auger-Aliassime in particular found his first serve ball along the way. When she’s not on rendezvous, the 21-year-old has trouble imposing the rhythm of the exchanges.
“It has not been an easy day,” Auger-Aliassime explained at a press conference. “I think the grades prove that very well.
We had to negotiate on different terms since the last few days. It was colder and windy. I had to adapt. On the other hand, my opponent (Rosovori) played an excellent match. I’ve always respected him a lot. He’s a good player and he’s shown that.”
Paid from all sides
During the duel, Ruusuvuori managed to destabilize Auger-Aliassime with a forehand. He was able to hold down the ninth racket in the world.
“He forced me to revise my strategy several times during the match because he was playing very well,” he added. Sometimes this is the case for first round matches.
“In the end, all matches are tough and I’m glad I found a way to win.”
Auger Eliassim also lacked opportunism on certain occasions. He only converted 4 of his 17 break points with an efficiency rate of 24%. By making more use of his chances, he could break Ruusuvuori’s confidence at crucial moments.
It should be noted that he maintained his focus despite going through a storm in the second and third half. In the not too distant past, Auger-Aliassime was less in control of his emotions. He could have escaped victory.
perfection does not exist
Besides, the player rarely plays perfect matches during the season. Auger-Aliassime confirms this.
“In a great season you get five, maybe ten at the most. So the majority of the duels can go either way. Against Rossovory, it was very difficult for me.
“In the middle of the match, I couldn’t find a way to play well. After that, I started to play more relaxed from the fourth set. I started to serve better and move my opponent more.
Auger-Aliasime is now 3-1 in games that require five innings. Against Ruusuvuori, it was the first time he had won as he fell behind in the sets.
An important victory for the future. In the next round, he will face Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the 51st player in the world. A duel will be held on Wednesday evening, Montreal time.
