Felix Auger-Aliassime emerged victorious over fellow Canadian Gabriel Diallo with a 6-2, 7-5 win in an all-Montreal clash at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. The fifth seed showcased his prowess by serving eight aces and breaking Diallo’s serve four times to secure his advancement. Despite Diallo matching Auger-Aliassime with eight aces, he struggled to win only 35% of his second-serve points.
Auger-Aliassime, a two-time Basel champion in 2022 and 2023, now sets his sights on a Round of 16 showdown against Croatian qualifier Marin Cilic at the ATP 500 event on Thursday. His compatriot Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ont., also progressed to the next round by defeating American Marcos Giron in a thrilling three-set match on Tuesday. Shapovalov is scheduled to face France’s Valentin Royer on Thursday, a player he previously defeated at the U.S. Open earlier this year.