Felix-Auger-Aliassime

COLOGNE, Germany — Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Cologne Indoors.

The third-seeded Auger-Aliassime, from Montreal, beat Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen 6-4, 6-1 in the second round of the ATP Tour 250 indoor hard-court event on Thursday.

Auger-Aliassime, who received a first-round bye, never faced a break point against Laaksonen.

The Canadian won 27 of 30 points (90 per cent) when he got his first serve in.

It was Auger-Aliassime’s first match of the fall hard-court season, after he lost in the first round on clay at the French Open.

Auger-Aliassime will face world No. 82 Radu Albot of Moldova in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev advanced to the quarterfinals of the Cologne Indoors by beating Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-1 Thursday.

Zverev was playing indoors for the first time this year after a mixed record on indoor hard courts in 2019. He has been strong in those conditions in the past with three career indoor titles, including the 2018 ATP Finals.

Zverev had seven aces and didn’t face a break point against Verdasco. He will next play Lloyd Harris in the quarterfinals.

Zverev is looking for his first title of the year and his third in his native Germany following victories at the clay-court Munich tournament in 2017 and 2018.

Roberto Bautista Agut booked his place in the quarterfinals after defeating the experienced Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-4, 7-6 (5). His reward is a match against Hubert Hurkacz.

Eighth-seeded Marin Cilic was upset 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 by Spanish player Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who set up a quarterfinal against Austria’s Dennis Novak.

–With files from the Associated Press.