Men’s eighth seed Dominic Thiem has rebounded to defeat Australian wildcard James Duckworth 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Brisbane International on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Austrian – the youngest in the top 20 – needed one hour and 24 minutes to see off the Brisbane-based 23-year-old and will next face American Denis Kudla for a place in the quarterfinals.
Veteran Radek Stepanek, the 2009 Brisbane champion, blitzed Serb Dusan Lajovic 6-0, 6-3 to join Thiem in the second round.
The Czech awaits the winner of Bernard Tomic and Nicolas Mahut for a place in the quarterfinals.
Young Australian Oliver Anderson’s clash with fellow qualifier Ivan Dodig has been suspended due to rain.
Tomic, the only seeded Australian in the men’s draw is in action on Tuesday night when he plays France’s Nicolas Mahut on Pat Rafter Arena.