Felix Auger-Aliassime emerged victorious in an all-Montreal clash at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, defeating compatriot Gabriel Diallo 6-2, 7-5 on Wednesday. The fifth seed showcased his skills with eight aces and managed to break Diallo’s serve four times to secure the win. Despite Diallo matching Auger-Aliassime’s eight aces, he struggled to win only 35% of his second-serve points.
Auger-Aliassime, a two-time Basel champion from 2022 and 2023, will now face Croatian qualifier Marin Cilic in the Round of 16 at the ATP 500 event scheduled for Thursday. Joining him in the next round is Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ontario, who advanced on Tuesday with a hard-fought three-set victory over American Marcos Giron. Shapovalov is set to play against France’s Valentin Royer on Thursday, a lucky loser whom he defeated at the U.S. Open earlier this year.
