Kyrgios Ignites Marseille Title Defence

Reigning Open 13 Marseille champion Nick Kyrgios opened up his title defence with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Malek Jaziri on Wednesday.

The third seed won all five matches in straight sets and without dropping serve en route to lifting the trophy in 2016. The Australian replicated that dominance over Marseille debutant Jaziri, striking a twelfth ace on match point to advance into the quarter-finals.

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“I had a tough Australian Open, so I was looking forward to coming back here. It’s where I won my first ATP World Tour title and I have great memories from this court,” said Kyrgios. “The crowd is always great, I love playing in Marseille, so I’m happy to be back.”

The 21-year-old will face Alexander Zverev’s conqueror Nicolas Mahut or qualifier Norbert Gombos in the quarter-finals. “Everyone in the draw is really good, there are plenty of players who can win this tournament. So I have to take it one match at a time and see if I can make the final again.”