Paris, May 31 (IANS) Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated No.31 seed American Brandon Nakashima 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(4), 7-6(1) to move into the fourth round at Roland-Garros for the third time in his career.
Auger-Aliassime was 4-1 down again at another crucial moment – with the scoreline knotted at one set apiece. He not only erased the deficit but also saved a set point in the 10th game of the third set to change the complexion of the match. He also came from a breakdown in the fourth en route to claiming his win in 3 hours and 48 minutes.
Auger-Aliassime’s 2026 effort matches his 2022 and 2024 results in Paris. But that’s where the similarities end, as the world No.6 enters the last 16 this time as the higher-ranked player.
After losing those two matches to Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, respectively, the Canadian will face unseeded Chilean Alejandro Tabilo on Monday for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Elsewhere, Juan Manuel Cerundolo’s remarkable Roland Garros run continued in Paris, but only after the Argentine battled for nearly six hours to overcome Spaniard Martin Landaluce.
Cerundolo backed up his shock second-round triumph against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner with a lung-busting 6-4, 6-7(9), 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(10-8) victory against Landaluce.
Cerundolo won the final four points to rally from 6/8 in the deciding-set Match Tie-break and claim a five-hour, 57-minute win. It is the third-longest Roland Garros match since records began in 1996, while it is the longest since fifth-set Match Tie-breaks were introduced in 2022.
Cerundolo’s marathon effort against the 20-year-old Landaluce has earned him a fourth-round tussle with Matteo Berrettini.
The former Top-10 star Berrettini earlier won a five-set marathon of his own, overcoming Francisco Comesana 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(15-13).
Competing in Paris for the first time since 2021, when he reached the quarter-finals, Berrettini is one win shy of matching that result. The Italian, who reached the 2021 Wimbledon final, is one of only three Grand Slam finalists remaining in the singles draw, alongside Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev.
–IANS
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