Borna Coric and Cilic pass opening-round tests in Paris

Borna Coric cruised through his opening-round match against Marton Fucsovics on Monday at the Paris Masters while Marin Cilic fought back from an opening set bagel to see off Felix Auger-Aliassime. Feliciano Lopez edged out Filip Krajinovic and will face Rafael Nadal next.

Croatia's Borna Coric produced a solid serving display to beat Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 7-6(5) 6-1 in the opening round of the Paris Masters on Monday.

After an early trade of service breaks, Fucsovics held a 3-0 lead in the tiebreak before a lapse in concentration allowed Coric to secure the first set en-route his 16th match win of the season.

Coric, seeded 15th, won 35 of his 48 first-serve points to set up a second round clash with Australian Jordan Thompson, who overcame Argentine Federico Delbonis 6-2 6-3.

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"It was not an easy match, and every time we have played it's been very tough," said Coric, who recorded his third straight victory over Fucsovics.

I played one bad game at 2-1 in the first set, when I missed two first serves, but pretty much the rest of the time I was serving huge.

Despite clinching an opening-set bagel, 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic was made to work hard by Canadian youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime before he posted a 6-0 3-6 6-3 victory.

Auger-Aliassime leaked 14 unforced errors in the opening set but found a way past his Croatian opponent in the second, needing 21 minutes to engineer a break of serve in the eighth game.

The 20-year-old, however, needed a medical timeout early in the third set due to a hip issue, which allowed Cilic to regroup and book a spot in the second round.

Earlier, Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez saved six set points in the opening set tiebreak to edge out Serbia's Filip Krajinovic 7-6(11) 6-1.

Lopez will next face compatriot Rafa Nadal, who is bidding for a record-equalling 36th Masters title this week.

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The tournament is held without spectators because of the lockdown measures in France amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

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