RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Dominic Thiem won his first match since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final, advancing to the second round of the Rio Open on Tuesday.
The top-seeded Thiem outlasted Brazilian Felipe Meligeni Alves for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 victory. It looked as Thiem experienced some discomfort in his left knee during the second set, but the Austrian managed to recover as soon as the third set began.
Second-seeded Dusan Lajovic of Serbia also won on Tuesday, defeating Italy's Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1.
No. 8 seed Casper Ruud of Norway, who won the Argentinian Open on Sunday, was eliminated. The 21-year-old Ruud lost 7-6 (4), 7-5 to Italian Gianluca Mager.
