Andy Murray defeated Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 7-6, 5-7, 7-5 in the first round of the Men’s and Women’s 1000 Points Tournament.
Murray, 35, who won Cincinnati in 2008 and 2011 and is entering the tournament for the 17th time in his career, took almost three hours to eliminate Wawrinka, 37, and advance to the second round.
Briton Cameron Norrie, who finished ninth, joined the list of contenders for the second round, defeating Dane Holger Ronne with a score of 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.
Croatian Marin Cilic, who won the title in 2016, also beat Spaniard Jaume Munnar 6-3, 6-3, while Spaniard Roberto Bautista canceled a set against Argentina’s Francisco Serondolo to win 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. American John Isner defeated Frenchman Benjamin Ponzi 7-6, 3-6, 7-6.
Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, 12th and runner-up at Wimbledon 2021, lost his second consecutive match on the court against France’s Francis Tiafoe 6-7, 6-4, 6-7.
In turn, world No. 16 Argentine Diego Schwartzman edged out world No. 39 Slovenian Alex Mulcán, 24, who made his first appearance in Cincinnati, beating him 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours. and 37 minutes.
In the second round, Shvartsman will face Russian Aslan Karatsev, who is ranked 38th in the world.
Source: El Iktisad