DUBAI: Alex de Minaur suffered a shock first-round exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships after being beaten across three sets by Marin Cilic.
De Minaur, the second seed at the tournament, was no match for his opponent, who emerged a 6-2 3-6 6-3 victor in two hours and 18 minutes in the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
Cilic raced into an early 4-0 lead following back-to-back breaks of serve, and though De Minaur rallied, the Croatian's early surge proved pivotal as he claimed the opening set.
The second set was tightly contested, but a break of serve in the eighth game in favour of De Minaur ensured the 26-year-old was able to take the encounter to a decider.
But Cilic remained composed despite his earlier setback, claiming match point when he followed up a fierce serve with a brilliantly placed volley to seal an impressive victory.
The world number 187's reward for his win is a clash with Alexei Popyrin, who beat Hady Habib in straight sets on Monday.
In other matches, Quentin Halys beat 3rd seed Andrey Rublev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, Nuno Borges beat Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-1, Luca Nardi beat Márton Fucsovics 1-6, 6-2, 6-3, Felix Auger Aliassime beat Alexander Bublik 7-6, 6-7, 6-3. Agencies
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