Returning to the place where he lifted his first ATP trophy, Nick Kyrgios has made an impressive start to his title defence at the Open 13 in Marseille with a 6-4, 6-2, win over Malek Jaziri.
Playing in his first competitive match on the ATP Tour since the Australian Open, Kyrgios displayed no signs of rustiness with a comprehensive service performance. Throughout the 59-minute match, the Australian 21-year-old won 94% of his first service points (29/31) and dropped just six points behind his second.
“I had a tough Australian Open and then I played some Davis Cup. I was really looking forward to coming here (Marseille) and playing here again.” Kyrgios said during his on-court interview.
“This is where I received my first title so I have great memories here. The crowd always unbelievable to play in front of and I love Marseille.”
Bidding to win his second consecutive ATP title in Marseille, the fourth in his career, Kyrgios is under no illusion of the tough task he faces with France’s very best players headlining this year’s tournament.
“Everyone in the draw is really really good. Obviously Gael, Jo-Wilfried and Richard are all playing great tennis. There are plenty of good players in the draw who could win the title.” The world No.16 admitted.
“So hopefully I’m just going to take it one match at the a time, reach the final and see how it goes match by match.”
Kyrgios will play either Nicolas Mahut or Norbert Gombos in the quarter-finals.
Earlier in the day, sixth seed Richard Gasquet required just under 90 minutes to get past Mikhail Youzhny 7-5, 6-2. The Frenchman sealed the win with the help of eight aces and a 77% winning service rate. He now faces a potential last eight clash with top seed Gael Monfils, who is yet to play his second round match.
Next Generation star Daniil Medvedev continued his encouraging start to the season by stunning eighth seed Benoit Paire in what was one of the last first round matches remaining in the tournament. The 21-year-old required more than two hours to seal the match 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(4).
“It was a really tough match,” said Medvedev. “I’m really happy to win, because not everything was going good for me. I wasn’t playing my best tennis in the first two sets. I was making a lot of unforced errors.”
Finally, Gilles Simon overcame a second set scare to defeat wildcard Julien Benneteau 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
