Cilic returns to winning ways in Belgrade, Lajovic triumphs at home

Marin Cilic returned to winning ways on the ATP Tour on Monday with an opening-round triumph at the Belgrade Open.

The 36-year-old saved each of the two break points he faced in a clinical second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over Alexandre Muller. It was Cilic's first tour-level win of 2024, outside of his run to the title in Hangzhou in September. 

“I felt good, but when you haven’t played for a while it’s [important] to find that intensity,” said Cilic, the former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I needed to find that balance today, and it took me a while to get used to the conditions and the balls.

“After 30 minutes, I started to feel great on the court, hitting, moving, serving. From there until the end of the match was fantastic, I felt really nice on the court.”

After powering past Muller, the World No. 68, and snapping his four-match losing streak, Cilic will face fourth seed Jiri Lehecka in the second round.

Elsewhere, Dusan Lajovic recorded his first tour-level win since reaching the quarter-finals in Umag in July. The 34-year-old, who has been recovering from an injury sustained at the Davis Cup, surged to a 6-0, 7-6(3) win to upset ninth seed Mariano Navone.

“I didn’t expect this kind of first set,” said Lajovic. “I didn’t think I was going to play until the end of the season. I’m not 100% yet, but I’m good enough to compete. I’m getting my groove back so I am happy to win the match.”

In the second round of his home tournament, the Serbian will take on Fabian Marozsan, who came from behind to defeat #NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng on Sunday.

In a battle of two qualifiers, Denis Shapovalov rallied to move past Marton Fucsovics 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-1. After levelling the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 2-2, the former World No. 10 has set up a second-round clash against fifth seed Nuno Borges.