ATP Masters Cincinnati: Shapovalov beats Cilic, Murray fixes a duel with Zverev
The first matches in the main draw of the first ATP event since the tour was interrupted are history. While Andy Murray had to fight hard with Francis Tiafoe , Denis Shapovalov presented himself in top form against Marin Cilic .
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Aug 23, 2020, 07:35 am
The field of participants in the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, which moved to New York City this year, is bursting with top stars. The first round games in Flushing Meadows, which started yesterday, Saturday, were correspondingly top-class. Probably the most attractive match-up was the duel between Marin Cilic and Denis Shapovalov.
Murray with a tailor-made comeback
The Canadian was easy to favor due to his world rankings, a Marin Cilic, who even celebrated a Grand Slam victory in the metropolis, can safely be described as a tough starter. This did not seem to inhibit Shapovalov a bit, the world number 16. put on an impressive performance and brought the Croatian to his knees with 6: 3 and 6: 3.
Another eagerly awaited duel was that between Andy Murray and Francis Tiafoe, as this represented the comeback of the injury-plagued Scotsman. The former number one in the world rankings presented itself in this respectable form, although the first set was much more active Player, but could only win it after defending a set ball.
Djokovic against Berankis, Thiem against Krajinovic
In the second round, Francis Tiafoe turned up and secured it 6: 3. But then it was Andy Murray again who seized control and dominated set number three. With 7: 6 (6), 3: 6 and 6: 1, the Scot fixed a duel with Alexander Zverev. Kevin Anderson also secured a duel with one of the big tournament favorites. The strong South African defeated Kyle Edmund 7: 6 (3), 4: 6 and 6: 3 and now meets Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The number one of the tournament, Novak Djokovic, has to deal with Ricardas Berankis. The Lithuanian had a hot exchange with Tommy Paul, but celebrated victory in three contested sets. Djokovic's nominally first pursuer, Dominic Thiem, also knows his first opponent. Filip Krajinovic will be this one. A player that Thiem was last able to defeat on the Adria Tour.
Also Felix Auger-Aliassime (6: 1 and 6: 4 against Nikoloz Basilashvili), Pablo Carreno Busta (7: 5 and 6: 1 against Dusan Lajovic), Borna Coric (6: 0 and 1: 0 ret. Against Bernoit Paire) , Taylor Fritz (6: 1 and 6: 3 against Lloyd Harris), Reilly Opelka (6: 3 and 6: 4 against Cameron Norrie) and Milos Raonic (6: 4 and 6: 4 against Sam Querry) started the tournament successfully. Jan Lennard Struff delivered a strong performance in his opening match and defeated Alex de Minaur in two clear sets.