Australia’s Nick Kyrgios has begun his Brisbane International title defence with a hard-fought first round win over American Ryan Harrison.
In a re-match of the 2018 Brisbane final, eighth seed Kyrgios outlasted world No.62 Harrison 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 7-6 (7-5) in just over two hours.
Australian No.2 Kyrgios claimed he would be rusty in the opener after his preparation was disrupted by a spider bite that required hospital treatment in his hometown Canberra over Christmas.
And the world No.35 was true to his word as he was kept honest by the hard-hitting Harrison before booking a second round clash with France’s Jeremy Chardy.
Kyrgios, 23, endured a frustrating 2018 in which his ranking slipped from world No.21, cutting his season short in October with a recurring elbow complaint.
Meanwhile, three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray showed no sign of rust in his return from an injury-hit 2018, downing Australian wildcard James Duckworth in the first round.
In his first event since September after a career threatening hip injury limited his 2018 season, the former world No.1 overcame Duckworth 6-3 6-4 in less than 90 minutes.
Dual champion Murray extended his Brisbane record to 10-0, booking a second round clash with fourth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev.
Murray, 31, was playing his first tournament since pulling out of the China Open four months ago.
He was limited to just six events in 2018, plummeting his ranking to world No.256.
“It’s been really hard the last 18 months, been a lot of ups and downs trying to get back on court,” Murray said.
“Being back now I am trying to enjoy it as much as I can, for as long as I can.”