Top seed Marin Cilic made quick work of Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday, winning 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round of the Japan Open.
The towering Croatian, runner-up to Roger Federer at this year’s Wimbledon, took just 73 minutes to complete a one-sided victory in Tokyo against a player ranked 110 places below him.
World number five Cilic, a former US Open champion, rifled eight aces and totally dominated on serve on a speedy hardcourt surface that suits his power game.
South African Kevin Anderson, who was beaten by Rafa Nadal in the US Open final last month, also advanced in straight sets, the fifth seed ousting Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-2, 7-6.
And controversial Australian Bernard Tomic recovered from a wobble to beat Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
In other matches, American Ryan Harrison overcame Japan’s Yusuke Takahashi 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 while Frenchman Adrian Mannarino dumped out another local favourite, Go Soeda, 7-5, 7-6.