Cerundolo vs Auger Aliassime Prediction 18 August 2026
🔊 Felix Auger-Aliassime has made a confident start on his path to defending points in Cincinnati. As a reminder, last year the Canadian reached the quarterfinals of the American Masters 1000 event. Juan Manuel Cerundolo will try to prevent him from reaching that minimum goal at the tournament - he unexpectedly knocked out Arthur Rinderknech in the previous round after a hard-fought three-setter with two tie-breaks. The question is whether the Argentine will have enough energy to at least make it a contest against the world number four. There is room for an upset: Juan Manuel leads their head-to-head record against Felix.
Head-to-Head
📊 The two players have met once before, with Cerundolo winning 2-0 in sets. However, this will be their first meeting on hard court.
Head-to-head statistics Cerundolo - Auger Aliassime
Juan Manuel Cerundolo Player Overview
Juan Manuel Cerundolo comes into this match with six wins in his last ten games. In the previous rounds in Cincinnati he beat Marc Laiyal (6:4; 6:4) and Arthur Rinderknech (4:6; 7:6; 7:6), though before that he was eliminated in the second round in Montreal by Casper Ruud (1:6; 2:6). The Argentine rarely gives up a match without a fight, which is reflected in his average match length of 25 games, with nearly half of them going his way. On serve he wins around 80% of points. This is thanks to a serve that is unusually powerful for a clay-court specialist, averaging 7.3 aces. That said, the South American prefers not to force the issue and plays from the baseline, primarily working on the counter-attack.
Match Results: Juan Manuel Cerundolo
Felix Auger Aliassime Player Overview
Felix Auger Aliassime is ranked 4th in the world and has won 7 of his last 10 matches. The problem is that he has not appeared on court since Wimbledon. Yes, the Canadian entered the home Masters event in Montreal but never took to the court for his second-round match, citing an injury. However, there was no sign of it in Cincinnati, where he comfortably defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas (6:3; 7:5). Auger Aliassime consistently holds serve, winning 82% of points on it, and rarely misses his first serve, with an accuracy rate of up to 67%. His average ace count (16.5 per match) also stands out against most opponents. However, Felix is capable of applying pressure on return as well. This versatility leads to 66% of sets won.
Match Results: Felix Auger Aliassime
Key factors
- The average number of games per match for both players exceeds 25.
- Cerundolo won the head-to-head match against Auger-Aliassime last season.
- Auger-Aliassime consistently wins more than 80% of points on serve.
- Cerundolo takes nearly half of all games in his matches.
Expected scenario
Felix Auger-Aliassime will most likely hold the initiative more often thanks to his strong serve and class advantage. The Canadian's dominant power game also implies exactly this kind of development. That said, Juan Manuel Cerundolo is capable of responding with runs of successful rallies of his own - despite his clay specialization, he wins not significantly fewer points after the serve. Add in the quality return games of both players and you get not just exchanges of service holds but regular break-point opportunities as well.
⭐ Editor's prediction
Both players come into this match with strong game-scoring numbers: the duration of matches involving each of them exceeds the tour threshold values. The ranking gap is offset by the Argentine's win in their head-to-head meeting and his high scoring output, despite his primary clay-court specialization. Of course, the players' styles contrast sharply, but the South American is capable of making it competitive even on serve, let alone on return. We suggest backing the underdog, or at the very least that he will be able to drag the match out, especially given the North American's recent injury. Our pick: total over 21.5.
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