BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — If Nick Kyrgios was attempting to prove his match fitness after 18 months off the tour due to wrist and knee injuries, he did a good job on Tuesday, albeit in a losing cause at the Brisbane International.
In a match that lasted 2 hours, 27 minutes at Pat Rafter Arena, 21-year-old Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France beat the 29-year-old Australian in three tiebreak sets — 7-6 (2), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3).
Later, Novak Djokovic, who beat Kyrgios in the 2022 Wimbledon final, was scheduled to play Australian wild-card entry Rinky Hijikata.
On Monday, Djokovic and Kyrgios, who are good friends, won their first-round doubles match.
Earlier, world No. 1-ranked and two-time Australian Open defending champion Aryna Sabalenka started her Brisbane singles campaign with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Renata Zarazua of Mexico.
After a first-round bye, Sabalenka took just 63 minutes to reach the third round with form that shows a three-peat in Melbourne Park beginning Jan. 12 was a strong possibility.
“First match always a tricky one to see where your tennis is at,” Sabalenka said. “I’m glad I closed that first set and in the second it felt like whatever I would do would work.”
She’ll play 15th-seeded Yulia Putintseva in the third round, the Kazakhstan player beating American Kessler McCartney 6-2, 7-5.
In another men’s singles match Tuesday, Frances Tiafoe beat Australian wild-card entry Adam Walton 7-5 (5), 6-3. Also, tournament No. 5 seed and world No. 22 Sebastian Korda withdrew with a lower back injury.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
