Nick Kyrgios returns to action with a defeat in Germany

The Australian was beaten in straight sets by Wu Yibing at the Stuttgart Open

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios returns the ball to China’s Wu Yibing during the Stuttgart tennis tournament, Germany, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP) (AP)

Nick Kyrgios’ return to tennis ended in defeat after he was beaten in straight sets by Wu Yibing at the Stuttgart Open.

The Australian was competing in his first singles tournament since October last year and has been sidelined since then following his recovery from knee surgery.

Kyrgios has previously reached the Stuttgart semi-final stages twice and he entered this year’s competition as eighth seed.

However, after appearing to be struggling physically throughout the match, he was beaten 7-5 6-3 by Wu in the first round on Tuesday.

“The last time I played on grass was juniors back in 2017, so six years,” Wu told the ATP website.

“I was really happy to play Nick in the first round. He’s one of the best players on grass and he served well.

“He aced me [so many] times. The key for me was to stay cool, stay patient in the game and find a way. I’m happy [with that result].”

A win means Wu will face qualifier Marton Fucsovics in the second round after the Hungarian came from behind to beat Denis Shapovalov 3-6 6-3 6-4.

Jan-Lennard Struff got off to a winning start with a 6-1 6-4 win against Zhizhen Zhang to set up a meeting against fifth seed Tommy Paul, who beat Benjamin Bonzi 6-3 6-4.