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The 6-0, 6-2 triumph over the Canadian proved to be Sinner’s 25th straight hardcourt victory, as the World No. 1 looked in ominous form.
Jannik Sinner. (X)
Jannik Sinner breezed past Felix Auger-Aliassime on Thursday in a straight sets triumph to storm into the semifnial of the Cincinnati Open.
The 6-0, 6-2 straight sets triumph over the Canadian proved to be Sinner’s 25th straight hardcourt victory as the World No. 1 looked in ominous form in a game that lasted just over an hour and ten minutes.
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“I felt great on the court today, you could see that,” said the Italian.
“But every day can be different. Let’s see what I can do in the semis,” Sinner continued.
Sinner, who is set to turn 24 years old on Saturday, is playing his first tournament since his Wimbledon triumph, and will take on either French qualifier Terence Atmane or Danish seventh seed Holger Rune for a place in the final
“I served well today, that was the key for me,” Sinner said.
“I had a small drop in the second set and I’m happy that I broke back. He moves and serves well, he’s difficult to play.”
Ben Shelton registered a 6-4, 6-4 win over Jiri Lehecka, punctuated by back-to-back aces to yield three match points. Shelton came good on his second as Lehecka drilled a return wide.
“I’m hungry, I’m in a good rhythm and the body feels good,” said Shelton, who will face Alexander Zverev for the third time this season when they meet in the quarter-finals. Zverev has won all three of their matches, including a quarter-final here a year ago.
Gauff Through
In women’s action, French Open champion Coco Gauff beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.
The second-seeded American’s game showed minor rust after a bye in the previous round.
“I could have maybe made some more first serves in that second set, but overall, I had a lot of aces and unreturnables,” said Gauff.
“I’m happy considering where (my serve) was last week. I’m always trying to get better, but also just trying to take the little wins along the way,” the American continued.
“I’m just trying to be happy with where I’m at now, but still doing the things I need to do to improve,” she added.
Gauff, who faced a break in each set herself, secured a spot in the last eight with a decisive break of the 61st-ranked Italian’s serve as Bronzetti hit long after 79 minutes on court.
Gauff will next face seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who defeated 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2.
Krejcikova received treatment on her left foot in the second set, which clearly affected her movement.
Paolini, the 2024 Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist, won seven straight games to lead 4-0 in the second set and came back from 0-30 down in the final game to advance.
Gauff will play Paolini, whom she beat here two years ago on her way to the title, in her third 1000-level quarter-final of the season, following Madrid and Rome.
“She’s a great player and can do anything she wants with the ball,” Paolini said.
“But I don’t think she was at 100% today.”
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