Three years back, Felix Auger-Aliassime seemed poised to carve out a name for himself among the top 10 players in the ATP rankings. The Montreal-born athlete made it to the semi-finals of the 2021 US Open, snagged four titles in 2022, and even faced off against Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals that year.
By the end of 2022, he had climbed to the sixth spot globally, recognized as one of the sport’s brightest young stars. However, more recently, his journey has turned into a cautionary tale about how quickly fortunes can shift in tennis.
Sadly, Auger-Aliassime’s career has been marred by erratic performances and a string of disappointing showings in major tournaments. At 25, he found himself ousted in the first or second rounds of 10 out of his last 13 Grand Slam appearances, and his record in this season’s Masters 1000 events stands at just 2-5.
Now, he’s facing another opportunity at the Cincinnati Open, where he enters as a sizable -250 favorite against Arthur Rinderknech.
It’s worth noting that consistency has eluded many players lately, including Rinderknech himself. He once bested No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the opening round of Wimbledon and took down No. 13 Casper Ruud in Cincinnati. Yet, he also suffered defeats against players outside the top 100 just weeks before.
It’s tough to anticipate how either player will perform once they hit the court, even with Auger-Aliassime as the clear favorite.
Play: Arthur Linderknech +200 (bet365)
