Hamburg Open 2020: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Lorenzo Sonego preview, head-to-head & prediction

By Haresh Ramchandani
Modified Sep 21, 2020 15:20 GMT
Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Italian Open in Rome last week.
Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Italian Open in Rome last week.

Match details

Fixture: Felix Auger Aliassime vs Lorenzo Sonego

Date: 22 September 2020

Tournament: Hamburg European Open 2020

Round: Round of 32 (First Round)

Venue: Hamburg, Germany

Category: ATP Masters 500

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €1,062,520

Match timing: Approx. 1.30 pm CEST, 5 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six

Felix Auger Aliassime vs Lorenzo Sonego preview

20-year-old Felix Auger Aliassime is one of the rising stars in the men's game and has been in good form this year. He reached the semi-finals of the Adelaide event in January and the finals in Rotterdam and Marseille in February prior to the tennis shutdown.

Auger-Aliassime reached the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career at the US Open, where he lost to eventual champion Dominic Thiem in the fourth round. However, he then suffered a first round exit at the Italian Open last week.

His opponent on Tuesday is 25-year-old Lorenzo Sonego, who is ranked No. 47 - just one spot below his personal best. The Italian won a round in Rome last week, which is only the second time in nine events that he has done so in 2020.

But Sonego played some of his best tennis in 2019, winning his 1st ATP Tour title at Antalya. He also reached the semifinals of Kitzbuhel and the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters, apart from winning a Challenger title in Genoa.

 Lorenzo Sonego reached the second round of the Italian Open in Rome last week.
Lorenzo Sonego reached the second round of the Italian Open in Rome last week.

Felix Auger Aliassime vs Lorenzo Sonego head-to-head

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Sonego have never faced each other on the tour, so the head-to-head between the two players currently stands at 0-0.

Felix Auger Aliassime vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction

Felix Auger-Aliassime, who loves playing the piano in his free time, has been steadily rising up the ranks in recent years. After reaching the last 16 in New York, Aliassime told the ATP Tour website:

“I felt like that was a deserved result in New York. I wish I could have gone further, but I think there was a good lesson from that second week and there were some good wins and some very good tennis from my part. I’m proud of the work I did and the future looks good."
Felix Auger-Aliassime with the runner-up trophy alongside winner Laslo Djere at the ATP Rio Open 2019
Felix Auger-Aliassime with the runner-up trophy alongside winner Laslo Djere at the ATP Rio Open 2019

The Canadian knows how to play on clay, having trained on the surface during his younger days in Montreal. He reached the finals at the Rio Open and the Lyon Open on clay in 2019, and three of his titles on the Challenger circuit have come on this surface.

Sonego may have won his only title on grass, but coming from Italy he is very familiar with the red dirt. It remains to be seen, however, whether he can counter Auger-Aliassime's booming groundstrokes on Tuesday.

Prediction: Felix Auger Aliassime to win in straight sets.