Nick Kyrgios falls in Stuttgart in first match since surgery

STUTTGART, Germany — Nick Kyrgios lost in his comeback match from knee surgery 7-5, 6-3 to Chinese player Wu Yibing in the first round of the Stuttgart Open on Tuesday.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist looked far from his best in his first match of the year. Kyrgios, 28, a two-time semifinalist in Stuttgart, was playing for the first time since October in Tokyo. He had a knee operation in January.

Wu, who was playing his first professional match on grass, next faces Marton Fucsovics, who rallied to beat Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Fifth-seeded American Tommy Paul defeated Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4.

Also, French player Gregoire Barrere defeated home favorite Oscar Otte 6-4, 6-3, and Australia’s Christopher O’Connell eased past another German, Daniel Altmaier, 6-3, 6-1.

Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff defeated Zhang Zhizhen 6-1, 6-4, and Russia’s Aslan Karatsev outlasted Corentin Moutet 7-6 (0), 6-7 (8), 7-5.

Defending champion Matteo Berrettini was knocked out by Italian compatriot Lorenzo Sonego on Monday.