Pospisil upsets Auger-Aliassime in all-Canadian clash at Vienna Open

Vasek Pospisil. (Seth Wenig/AP)

VIENNA — Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil upset Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-5, 7-5 Wednesday in first-round action at the Erste Bank Open.

Pospisil, a qualifier at the ATP 500 indoor hardcourt tournament, broke world No. 21 Auger-Aliassime in the final game of each set. Auger-Aliassime hit into a double-fault facing set point in the first, and Pospisil converted on triple break point in the second.

It was 30-year-old Pospisil’s first win over 20-year-old Auger-Aliassime in four tries.

Pospisil had eight aces to Auger-Aliassime’s six, and while he was accurate on just 51 per cent of his first serves, he won 83 per cent of those points.

He broke Auger-Aliassime three times, including the two set-winning breaks, and saved two of the three break points he faced.

Auger-Aliassime was accurate on 74 per cent of his first serves, winning 70 per cent of those points. But he won just 42 per cent of second-serve points, compared to 53 per cent for Pospisil.

Pospisil, ranked 81st in the world, next faces fourth-seed Daniil Medvedev. Pospisil is 1-1 against the Russian, winning the last meeting in February at an indoor tournament at Rotterdam, Netherlands.

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