Djokovic returns with victory at Mexican Open

MEXICO CITY — Novak Djokovic beat Slovakia's Martin Klizan 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the opening round of the Mexican Open on Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time).

The win was Djokovic's first since his shocking loss in the second round of the Australian Open.

"It's always tough to win the first match but I'm happy with my game, especially in the first set, hopefully I can keep playing like that," Djokovic said.

The 29-year-old Serbian, ranked No. 2, played his first tournament since Jan. 19, when he suffered an unexpected loss to Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin. Djokovic, making his debut in Acapulco, saved four break points to take the first set Tuesday, struggled in the second set and needed a tiebreaker to take down Klizan in about 1 1/2 hours.

Djokovic, the top seed in Mexico, will play the winner of the later match between Juan Martin Del Potro and American Frances Tiafoe.

"'Delpo' plays tonight but I'm going to go to my bed", added Djokovic.

Earlier, third-seeded Marin Cilic reached the second round with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 win over Alexandr Dolgopolov, a wild-card entry.