Novak Djokovic had a shaky start against fellow countryman Filip Krajinovic but in the end the Serbian number 1 of the world won 7-6(6), 6-3.
Krajinovic had practiced together with Djokovic in Belgrade in the last week and started the match with no respect whatsoever for. Only when he served for the first set at 5-4 his nerves began to struggle as Djokovic broke his serve. The match stayed extremely tight in the tie-break but it was Djokovic who was able to raise his game in the deciding moment and won the tie-break 8-6.
In the second set, Djokovic finally arrived for sure in Vienna after his 13-year absence in Austria’s capital. He got the early break and went on to win the set 6-3. In the second round, things won’t get any easier for Djokovic as he will face Croatia’s Borna Coric there.
Dimitrov eliminates Khachanov
In the first match on the centercourt, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov won in a similar fashion as Djokovic, also taking the first set 8-6 in the tie-break against Russian Karen Khachanov. The second set was much quicker. Dimitrov served for the match at 5-1, but had to concede a re-break. In the long run it didn’t matter, as he finally shut the door on Khachanov in his next service game, winning the set 6-3
Also advancing to the second round: Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Hungarian qualifier Attila Balazs.