Controversial Kyrgios makes quick Cincinnati exit

Speaking like the father of four that he is, Roger Federer weighed in on the Nick Kyrgios controversy on Monday, one day before he was set to play in Cincinnati in his first match since losing the Wimbledon final.

“(You’re) always like searching and trying to find that next great moment, and like that was like one Sunday where I had a great moment”, said the 22-year-old Stephens, a first-round loser at Toronto last week.

“It’s the first round of the hard court season for the next six plus months or so”, said Federer. Though tennis is used to many things, audible mid-match declarations of who slept with whom is something that wouldn’t have flown in any era, even the bad-boy period of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase. I need matches right now, so it was good to start well here.

He didn’t face a break point during the 1-hour, 9-minute match, and lost only three points off his serve in the second set.

Federer had more winners but also more unforced errors throughout – 24, to his opponent’s 17.

Bautista Agut held serve to start the 69-minute match but Federer went up a break and never relinquished control. Bautista Agut throughout the first set failed to hop on the opportunities he was given.

Tommy Robredo beat Pablo Andujar 3-6 6-3 6-1, Jeremy Chardy was untroubled by Rajeev Ram in a 6-4 6-2 win and Jared Donaldson completed a 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 6-2 victory over Nicolas Mahut. By winning 95 percent of his first-serve points, Federer successfully navigated the victory. “I think it’s normal that the tour comes down hard on him and explains to him that it’s not the way forward”.

“No. I’m not playing next week”, he said. “I found out via one of the Fox Sports guys that sent me a tweet”. The night session (11,518) was an all-time record for a Tuesday evening. Each of the first seven sessions thus far have set single-session records. Dolgopolov, ranked 66th, also played three matches in Montreal but like the W&S Open, the first two were in qualifying.

Isner was worn down from the stretch of matches in those three tournaments.

In other action on the men’s side, Grigor Dimitrov eased past Vasek Pospisil in straight sets to reach the third round while Canada’s Milos Raonic was upset by Feliciano Lopez, 7-6(4), 6-4.

Mona Barthel beat Australian Casey Dellacqua in a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) comeback while Caroline Garcia beat Sabine Lisicki 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.