Auger-Aliassime credits rainy conditions for upset win over Schwartzman

After an early round loss at the Madrid Open, Felix Auger-Aliassime boosted his confidence with an upset victory over World No.10 Diego Schwartzman in the second round of the Internazionali BNL D'Italia Rome on Tuesday.

The Canadian converted five of his six break points to prevail 6-1 6-3 after just 64 minutes, despite having to deal with the rain and heavy conditions.

"It was tricky conditions overall. A lot of rain, heavy conditions. I think maybe it suited me better. I think he was struggling to find openings on the court," Auger-Aliassime said after the match. "I took advantage of that. I kept going for my shot with no hesitation, stuck to my game plan. I was able to do that well outside of the little bit of slump in the second."

Having fallen to Schwartzman after a marathon match last year in Cologne, the #NextGenATP star exacted some revenge as he dictated play from the onset. His Argentine opponent could only muster one winner in the entire match, failing to develop a rhythm as he hit 25 unforced errors.

"Of course, Diego is a tough opponent always. Again, sometimes matches against those ranked 20, 30, 40, are tougher," Auger-Aliassime added. "Most of the time players in the Top 10 are tough. For me it's just two men trying to win. That's really what it is."

The 20-year old will face the winner between 12th seed David Goffin and qualifier Federico Delbonis, who had their second round match postponed due to inclement weather.