Krawietz/Mies Down Hurkacz/Isner in Cincinnati Opener

Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies faced down two of the biggest serves on the ATP Tour on Tuesday to book a second-round berth at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

The German duo converted three of six break points against Miami champions Hubert Hurkacz and John Isner to seal a 6-4, 7-6(0) first-round victory at the ATP Masters 1000 event. A topsy-turvy second set contained four breaks of serve but Krawietz and Mies dominated the tie-break to set a meeting with Alex de Minaur and Cameron Norrie.

Two-time Roland Garros champions Krawietz and Mies are chasing their maiden Masters 1000 title in Ohio, where they have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals.

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Also on Tuesday, Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara edged home wild card pairing Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe in a tense first-round clash. The British-Finnish team, which lifted its first ATP Tour title of the year in Hamburg last month, triumphed 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 on tournament debut in Cincinnati.

Fifth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic enjoyed a far more straightforward path to the second round. The Croatians defeated Lukasz Kubot and Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4.