John Millman has proved too strong for Fernando Verdasco, beating the Spanish veteran in straight sets to book his place in the next round of the ATP’s Cologne Championship.

The Australian’s reward is a second-round showdown with top seed Alexander Zverev.

World No.44 Millman saw off Verdasco in straight sets, winning 6-4 6-2 in one hour and 40 minutes to secure a showdown with the world No.7.

Earlier, Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina progressed to round two along with qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who battled past Tennys Sandgren 6-3 3-6 6-3.

There were also wins for Italian wildcard Jannik Sinner and lucky loser Oscar Otte, who goes on to face second seed Diego Schwartzman, the world No.9 from Argentina.