CINCINNATI: Richard Gasquet of France returns a volley from Nick Kyrgios of Australia during their match at the Western & Southern Open.—AP

CINCINNATI: Roger Federer shook off the rust in his first match since Wimbledon as women’s draw-cards Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams withdrew injured from the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday.

Federer, who took more than a month off after losing the Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, took a first step toward a seventh Cincinnati title by beating Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4 in just an hour and nine minutes.

The Swiss star won the event last year for his unprecedented sixth title at the long-time ATP Tour stop. He got a good start by easily handling the Spaniard, whom he has beaten in straight sets in all four of their matches.

“It’s the first round of the hard court season for the next six plus months or so,” Federer told the ATP Tour website after his first match at the tournament having received a bye into the second round.

Earlier, controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios was crushed 6-2, 6-1 by French 12th seed Richard Gasquet in their first round match.

US Open winner Marin Cilic, the seventh seed, beat Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-2, while Spain’s Feliciano Lopez stopped Canadian Milos Raonic 7-6, (7-4), 6-4 as the ninth seed lost an opening match for the second straight week.

Sam Querrey beat fellow American John Isner 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) in a first round match-up of big servers and Croatian Borna Coric scraped past Alexander Zverev of Germany 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5).

“I thought I played well,” said Querrey who will next face Spaniard Tommy Robredo, a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 winner against fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar.

South African 15th seed Kevin Anderson defeated Leonardo Mayer 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-1, Spaniard left-hander Fernando Verdasco came from a set down to battle past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 while sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych advanced with a straight-sets win.

The women’s bracket lost two players who were hoping for rejuvenating weeks in Cincinnati.

Sharapova withdrew from the Rogers Cup last week because of a strain in her upper right leg. She had hoped to get some matches in Cincinnati to get ready for the US Open which begins in less than a fortnight, but the leg was still bothering her.

Venus was forced to pull out due to a viral illness, something that had bothered her in Monday’s victory over Zarina Diyas, denying fans an attractive second round encounter between the American and former number one Ana Ivanovic.

On the court, Swiss prospect Belinda Bencic continued her brilliant run of form with a 7-5, 6-3 first-round victory over Germany’s Angelique Kerber.

Bencic, who shocked world number one Serena Williams in the semi-finals of last week’s Rogers Cup before going on to clinch the title, fended off attempted comebacks by the 11th-seeded Kerber in both sets before sealing victory in 90 minutes.

Bencic will next face Italy’s Flavia Pennetta, who beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 7-5, 6-2 in the opening round.

Sloane Stephens took down another seed as she beat number 10 Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-2, while former world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus trounced American Lauren Davis by the same score-line.

France’s Kristina Mladenovic overcame Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-1, Mona Barthel beat Australian Casey Dellacqua in a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) comeback while Caroline Garcia beat Sabine Lisicki 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.—Agencies

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2015

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