Tsitsipas and Auger-Aliassime Out Early at Toronto Masters 1000
The second round of the Toronto Masters 1000 concluded overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, with two major upsets in the draw. First, Stefanos Tsitsipas failed to advance to the Round of 16.
Facing Christopher O’Connell, the world No. 78 who had defeated Tseng (6-1, 6-2) in the first round, the Greek player—who recently announced the return of his father to his coaching team after ending his collaboration with Goran Ivanisevic—fell in three sets (6-4, 4-6, 6-2).
Tsitsipas, currently ranked 30th in the ATP rankings this week (his lowest position since August 2018), continues to struggle with his recent form. After an early exit in the first round at Wimbledon, the 2019 ATP Finals winner has now lost six of his last ten matches and faces mounting pressure ahead of the North American hardcourt swing.
The 26-year-old Greek will now move on to Cincinnati and the US Open, by far his least successful Grand Slam, having never progressed beyond the third round in New York. As for O’Connell, he will next face his compatriot Alex De Minaur.
Another seeded player to fall was Félix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian was outplayed by an impeccable Fabian Marozsan (6-4, 6-4). The Hungarian, who had dominated Hugo Dellien (6-2, 6-2) in his opening match, confirmed his strong form with this victory over Auger-Aliassime. The world No. 56 will now take on Flavio Cobolli, who battled past Alexis Galarneau (6-4, 5-7, 6-4), for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Also in the news: the sky is blue.