tennis

Kyrgios, Goffin keep their cool and advance in Japan Open

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:12 p.m. ET

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TOKYO (AP) Sixth-seeded Nick Kyrgios kept his cool as temperatures rose at the Rakuten Japan Open, beating American qualifier Ryan Harrison 7-5, 6-2 to set up a meeting with Radek Stepanek in the second round.

Kyrgios made the only break of a tight first set in the 11th game Tuesday, shortly after a spectator fell on steps high in the stands. The incident forced a 10-minute suspension, during which Kyrgios sent some water up to the injured spectator.

As the temperature hit 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) at the start of the second set, Harrison's serve wilted and Kyrgios broke to take a 3-2 lead.

Kyrgios then held before Harrison lost his temper in a decisive seventh game, twice smashing his racket into the ground, and once hitting a ball into the crowd in-between points. Kyrgios broke and then served out for the match.

Kyrgios joked that he was ''dreading'' the second-round meeting with Czech veteran Stepanek, who beat Stephane Robert 6-2, 6-1.

''He's a good friend of mine, we get along well. He's going up in age but he's learning to adapt,'' Kyrgios said. ''His level is still high and he can still do damage, especially on a surface like this.''

Fifth-seeded David Goffin beat Japanese wildcard entry Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 6-2 and next faces Jiri Vesely, who rallied to a 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory over South African Kevin Anderson.

In the doubles, top-seeded Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares eased to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Martin Klizan and Joao Sousa.

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