Returning to tennis after a seven-month absence, Nick Kyrgios lost in straight sets to Yibing Wu in the first round of the grass-court ATP 250 tournament in Stuttgart. Another Chinese, Zhizhen Zhang, succumbed to Jan-Lennard Struff.

“I’m very excited to be back in action,” Nick Kyrgios said before the start of the ATP tournament in Stuttgart. For the Australian, it is a return to competition after a seven-month absence due to a knee injury. However, this did not succeed. The 28-year-old from Canberra ended the Boss Open competition in the first round, losing 5:7, 3:6 to Yibing Wu.

It was easy to see signs of lack of play and fitness issues after number eight seed Kyrgios. The service was particularly disappointing. Although he fired 15 aces, he was broken twice and that was the deciding factor in his loss.

Wu will face Marton Fucsovics in the second round. The Hungarian qualifier served seven aces, converted three of nine break points and also picked up an upset win with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Denis Shapovalov.

Jan-Lennard Struff and Zhizhen Zhang were the revelations at May’s event in Madrid. The German as a lucky loser made it to the final, and the Chinese became the first from his country to be a quarter-finalist in the Masters 1000 contest. On Tuesday they faced each other in the first round in Stuttgart and it was senseless single match. The 33-year-old from Warstein won 6-1, 6-4 in an hour.

Struff’s next opponent will be Tommy Paul. The American number five never had to defend against a break, he made two breaks himself and in 65 minutes he beat Benjamin Bonzi 6:3, 6:4.

In the morning matches on the center court, the representatives of the hosts suffered defeats. Oscar Otte, the wildcard holder, succumbed to Grégoire Barrère, who will now play against Lorenzo Musetti, the “six” of the tournament. Daniel Altmaier, on the other hand, was no match for Christopher O’Connell. The Australian will face Lorenzo Sonego for promotion to the quarter-finals.

After three hours and 10 minutes of competition, Aslan Karacew qualified for the 1/8 finals. The 29-year-old from Vladikavkaz beat Corentin Moutet 7-6 (0), 6-7 (8), 7-5 to become the first opponent for second seed Taylor Fritz.

Boss Open, Stuttgart (Germany)
ATP 250, grass pitch, prize pool 795.7 thousand. euro
tuesday june 13

1st singles round:

Tommy Paul (USA, 5) – Benjamin Bonzi (France) 6-3, 6-4
Yibing Wu (China) v Nick Kyrgios (Australia, 8) 7-5, 6-3
Aslan Karatsev v Corentin Moutet (France) 7-6(0), 6-7(8), 7-5
Christopher O’Connell (Australia) – Daniel Altmaier (Germany) 6-3, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany) – Zhizhen Zhang (China) 6-1, 6-4
Grégoire Barrere (France) bt Oscar Otte (Germany, WC) 6-4, 6-3
Marton Fucsovics (Hungary Q) – Denis Shapovalov (Canada) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

free prizes: Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece, 1/CM); Taylor Fritz (US, 2); Frances Tiafoe (USA, 3); Hubert Hurkacz (Poland, 4)

A three-set duel of the hosts’ favorite in Den Bosch. Confident promotion of the former champion

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