Nick Kyrgios lost on his comeback from knee surgery 7-5, 6-3 to Chinese player Wu Yibing in the first round of the Stuttgart Open.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist looked far from his best in his first match of the year. Kyrgios, a two-time semifinalist in Stuttgart, was playing for the first time since October in Tokyo. The 28-year-old Australian had a knee operation in January.
Wu, who was playing his first professional match on grass, next faces Marton Fucsovics, who rallied to beat Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Fifth-seeded American Tommy Paul defeated Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4.
Also, French player Gregoire Barrere defeated home favorite Oscar Otte 6-4, 6-3 and Australia’s Christopher O’Connell eased past another German, Daniel Altmaier, 6-3, 6-1.
Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff defeated Zhang Zhizhen 6-1, 6-4, and Russia’s Aslan Karatsev outlasted Corentin Moutet 7-6 (0), 6-7 (8), 7-5.
Defending champion Matteo Berrettini was knocked out by Italian compatriot Lorenzo Sonego on Monday.