SAN DIEGO: Former world No.1 Andy Murray of Britain beat Denis Kudla of the United States 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the San Diego Open.
The 34-year-old Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, is still trying to work his way back to form after two hip operations and a series of other injuries.
He had been scheduled to play Kei Nishikori, but the 31-year-old from Japan withdrew with a back injury.
Murray is a wild-card entry in this hard-court tournament that was created this year to help fill a gap in the ATP calendar created when the post-U.S.Open circuit in Asia was called off because of COVID-19 concerns.
In another first-round match, Sebastian Korda of the United States, ranked No.42, beat countryman Tommy Paul, ranked 60th, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.