World number 1 in the men’s ATP ranking, Jannik Sinner, began his campaign in Cincinnati Open in Ohio Thursday morning with a straight-sets victory over home favourite Alex Michelsen.
The Italian, Sinner, was coming off the back of a disappointing defeat in the quarter-finals of the Montreal Open, but he bounced back in style to secure a 6-4 7-5 victory.
Sinner saved all eight break points in the course of the energy-sapping game and eased any concerns over a hip complaint.
Also in the men’s draw of the Cincinnati Open Thursday morning, former world number 1 Daniil Medvedev suffered a shock second-round defeat against Jiri Lehecka.
Medvedev reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon earlier this summer, but has struggled to maintain much consistency and he was beaten 7-6(2) 6-4 in another upsetting loss.
Lehecka only returned from injury in July after facing a spell of two months on the sidelines due to a back injury.
“It’s amazing to be back, to be honest,” Lehecka said in his post-match interview. “It was a long time since I was playing on a big stage, so I enjoyed every moment of it today.
“To get a win against such a good, talented player as Daniil is just a bonus for me.”