6th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on 28th seed Francisco Cerundolo in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on Friday.
The Canadian sensation had a great latter half of the season in 2022. However, 2023 did not begin on a pleasant note for him. At the Adelaide International 1, Auger-Aliassime lost to Alexei Popyrin in the first round.
So far in the Australian Open, Auger-Aliassime has had to grind hard in both of his matches. Against Vasek Pospisil in the first round, the 22-year-old bounced back after losing the first set and finished the match in four sets. In the second round, Felix faced Alex Molcan and recovered from a 0-2 deficit to win the match in five sets 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. The world No. 7 would want to finish off a match without falling so far behind.
The Argentine also had a rough start to 2023. He played in the inaugural United Cup and lost a couple of matches to Arthur Rinderknech and Borna Coric in straight sets.
In the first round of the Australian Open, Cerundolo got past compatriot Guido Pella in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. He followed it up with a come-from-behind win against Corentin Moutet. The match ended in four sets 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 in favor of Cerundolo.
The two players have never faced each other. Therefore, the head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0.
Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in four sets.
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