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Kyrgios cruises past Troicki


 

Originally published on 07/08/17 00:00

The Australian had retired injured in his previous three tournament matches and it was unclear whether he would be fit enough to give his best in Canada. The 22-year-old appeared to be in tip-top shape against his Serbian rival, though, and he thrilled the spectators with his gallus play and outrageous shotmaking.

Troicki looked rusty in his first outing since Wimbledon but he was comprehensively outplayed by his gifted opponent. Kyrgios sealed the win with his 8th match-point and he will take on Paolo Lorenzi or Frances Tiafoe in the second round.

“I’m just happy to get the win today,” said Kyrgios. “Tiafoe is a great player and I'm really good friends with him as well. It would be awesome to play him.”

The first upset of the tournament came on the Banque Nationale Court as Jared Donaldson ousted No.13 seed, Lucas Pouille, 7-6(5) 7-6(8) in one hour and 58 minutes.

The American, ranked No.66 in the world, is a tenacious competitor and his baseline consistency proved to be too much for his erratic opponent. “I think I played really well,” admitted the 20-year-old.

“My serve was great and that really helped me to play first-strike tennis. Both tiebreaks were really competitive. The first one I came back on him a little bit, and the second one was just nip and tuck.”

It’s a third defeat in a row for Pouille and he will be eager to find his best form before the US Open begins later this month.

Elsewhere on the grounds, Mischa Zverev, who will have been thrilled with his brother’s triumph at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C on Sunday, overcame Norbert Gombos 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3. Robin Haase was also a winner on day 1 of the Rogers Cup as he enjoyed a routine 6-3 6-3 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.