TORONTO, CANADA — Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic reached the second round of the Toronto Masters on Tuesday, with both men polishing their pre-US Open form.
Wawrinka put his comeback from knee surgery back on track with a 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 comeback win over Nick Kyrgios.
Wimbledon holder Djokovic eased to victory, beating Mirza Basic 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) after the Bosnian replaced original opponent Chung Hyeon of South Korea, who withdrew before the match with injury.
A pair of Canadian teenagers advanced, with Denis Shapovalov dominating Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 6-4 while good friend Felix Auger-Aliassime, who turns 18 on Wednesday, thrilled his home fans as he defeated Lucas Pouille of France 6-4, 6-3.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka put 16^th seed Kyrgios out with an impressive display after losing a one-sided opening set.
Wawrinka has been struggling to find his best form since returning to the ATP Tour after two knee operations a year ago and has slumped to 195 in the world ranking.
“I’m looking for confidence. I’m looking for matches,” he said. “I’m grateful I got the wildcard to play directly in the main draw.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match. Winning 1-6, 7-5, 7-5, it’s great for me. Any victory is good to get more confidence.
“I’m happy with the way I’m practicing. I’m really happy with the level and the way I’m moving on the practice court, and I need to find how to put it in the match.”
Wawrinka’s victory in just over two hours avenged a 2015 loss to Kyrgios in Canada, when the Swiss had to retire. That contest was also remembered for Kyrgios insulting his opponent’s girlfriend Donna Vekic.
Kyrgios, with green fluorescent tape encircling each kneecap, quit injured in last week’s Washington quarter-finals, and he was treated in the second set here for his chronically troublesome hip.
The 33-year-old Wawrinka broke late in the second set to level the match, and completed his fight back on a second match point as he also broke in the 12th game of the decider.
“My hip is, obviously, a little bit sore. That’s why I called the trainer on the court. So it’s pretty self-explanatory,” Kyrgios said.
“It’s good to see Stan back, I guess. He’s obviously had a tough 12 months with his injury, and it’s good seeing him back winning some matches.”
Djokovic beats Basic
Djokovic, a four-time winner in Canada, double-faulted while serving for the match to slip into a second-set tie-break, but he finished the job for a second-round spot. “I was struggling to play two or three matches in a row consistently well. So that has changed and obviously feels good.”
Djokovic win in 90 minutes with nine aces; he now stands 36-6 at the event and next plays Canada’s Peter Polansky.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori lost serve five times in a 7-5, 6-1 loss to Robin Haase of the Netherlands.
His defeat was the third in three matches for Japanese players after less than two days of play.
Russian Karen Khachanov reached the second round at the expense of Serb Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-2, while American Sam Querrey beat Adrian Mannarino of France 6-2, 7-5.
American Frances Tiafoe defeated Italy’s Marco Cecchinato 7-6 (7/3), 6-1, Greek rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas accounted for Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) and 14th seed Fabio Fognini, winner of two of his last three tournaments, beat American Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL Master John Marvin Miciano claimed another Grandmaster scalp as he shocked fifth seed GM Vyacheslav Ikonnikov of Russia in 62 moves of a super-sharp King’s Indian duel to seize the solo lead after five rounds of the 22nd Hogeschool Zeeland chess tournament in Vlissingen, the Netherlands Tuesday night.
Playing black, Miciano, 17, came out the aggressor as he launched a kingside attack that netted him a rook before finding a way to stop Ikonnikov’s central passed pawn to extract the full point to zoom to the top spot with a perfect five points.
Miciano, whose rating of 2381 paled in comparison with Ikonnikov’s 2546, actually declined a draw offer on the 55th move after he found the winning moves with a pawn and rook sacrifice that prevented the latter from queening his pawn.
When the game ended, Miciano was left with an unstoppable promoting pawn against Ikonnikov’s two useless pawns.
Ikonnikov became Miciano’s second GM victim after he also slew sixth seed GM Zeng Chongsheng of China the round before.
Miciano, whose trip is funded by the Philippine Sports Commission and Far Eastern University where he plays top board, was playing top seed GM Sandro Mareco of Argentina in the sixth round at press time hoping to keep his lofty perch.
Woman GM Janelle Mae Frayna, who is supported by the PSC and The Philippine STAR president and chief executive officer Miguel Belmonte, waylaid Swiss Duke Kreutzmann to storm back to contention with 3.5 points.
Frayna was battling Dutch Robert Oosting.
GM Jayson Gonzales, who coaches Miciano and Frayna, drew with IM Marcel Peek of the Netherlands to stay in the top 20 with four points.

ST. LOUIS — Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, past major winners trying to rise once more from contenders to champions, tee off side-by-side when the 100th PGA Championship starts Thursday.
Woods, eight months into a comeback from spinal fusion surgery, and McIlroy, seeking his first major win since the 2014 PGA, will be joined by defending champion Justin Thomas for the first two days over the 7,316-yard, par-70 Bellerive Country Club layout.
“You certainly get thrown at the deep end straight away in a group like that,” McIlroy said. “I guess it focuses you straight away. It’s going to be a big atmosphere out there and I’m looking forward to that.”
That trio and top-ranked Dustin Johnson are oddsmakers favorites for the year’s last major event on a rain-softened course where length will help but second shots into tight landing areas will be critical.
“It’s advantageous for the guys who hit the ball in the air and can carry it a long way. I just need to be able to do that,” Woods said.
“If you’re able to hit the ball well and put the ball in the right sections, you’ll see a bunch of birdies. If you don’t, you’ll see the field get separated pretty quickly.”
Woods, a 14-time major champion, has not won a major since the 2008 US Open and hasn’t won any event since the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational. But he fired his lowest final round in five years to take fourth in June at the PGA National and led in the British Open final round before sharing sixth at Carnoustie.
“He had to learn how to move again. He had to learn how to swing. I mean, 18 months ago the guy couldn’t walk,” McIlroy said. “To get to this point is a phenomenal achievement already.
“If he could go ahead and win another major with his fifth golf swing, I mean, that’s unbelievable.”
Fifth-ranked McIlroy has five top-10 showings in the past nine majors, sharing second at last month’s British Open and fifth at the Masters.
“The only thing I haven’t done is win enough,” McIlroy said. “I’ve given myself a lot of chances. I played in a lot of final groups and I haven’t played well enough when it has counted.”
SPIETH SEEKS CAREER SLAM
Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth will make his second try at completing a Career Grand Slam after sharing 28th last year at Quail Hollow. He would join Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen in the feat with a victory.
“It will always be circled to complete the career Grand Slam, which will ultimately achieve a life-long goal for me, so certainly emphasis in my head on it, but nothing overpowering,” Spieth said.
Eighth-ranked Spieth could become the first to finish the Career Slam at a PGA and do it on the same course where South Africa’s Player did by winning the 1965 US Open.
“It’s a great position to be in,” said McIlroy, who needs the Masters to complete his own Career Slam. “He’s shown over the past few years he’s mentally very good, so I’m sure he won’t have a problem.”
A field with 98 of the world’s 100 top players sees reigning major champions Brooks Koepka (US Open), Patrick Reed (Masters) and Francesco Molinari (British Open) grouped together on a wet layout.
TARGET GOLF AT BELLERIVE
“It’s going to be the quintessential target golf,” McIlroy said. “Where your ball lands is where it’s going to really stay.”
That could reduce some edge for big hitters.
“Even though it’s going to be softer and wet, it’s got the potential for I think anybody to work their way up the board,” Spieth said.
“I don’t think they’re going to be the smoothest of greens we’ve played on, but everyone has got to play them,” he said. “We’re going to have some putts and they’re going to kind of wobble off line.”
“The greens, they look a little worse than they actually putt,” McIlroy said. “They look slower than they are.” — AFP