Auger-Aliassime advances to Round of 16 with win over Cerundolo at Cincinnati Open

The back injury that prevented Felix Auger-Aliassime from competing in the National Bank Open in his hometown earlier this month, appears to be healing nicely.

The 26-year-old Montreal tennis star advanced to the Round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open after defeating Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina 7-5, 6-1 on Tuesday night.

Auger-Aliassime, who needed only one hour, 27 minutes to win the Round of 32 singles match against Cerundolo, will now face Frances Tiafoe, who defeated Learner Tien 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in an all-American showdown that took two hours, 10 minutes to play on Tuesday night.

Auger-Aliassime defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-3, 7-5 in his first match on Sunday.

Against Cerundolo, Auger-Aliassime had six aces, five double faults, 22 unforced errors and 19 winners. He won three-of-nine return games and all nine of his service games.

Auger-Aliassime was forced to withdraw from the NBO in Montreal earlier this month, citing a back injury suffered during training leading up to the event. He was the No. 2 seed in the annual Canadian tournament.

World No. 1 and reigning Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner announced in late July that he was the NBO to prioritize his health. World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who missed Wimbledon with a wrist injury, was incapable of competing in Montreal. And Novak Djokovic, who's the all-time male leader in Grand Slams (24), withdrew as well.