Injury-plagued Nick Kyrgios has tasted victory for the first time since May, beating Viktor Troicki 6-1 6-2 at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
The match was the first the world No.24 has completed in his past three encounters after his long-standing hip problem forced him to retire from Queen's Club, Wimbledon and last week's Citi Open in Washington.
Kyrgios looked fresh and focused, seeing off Troicki in 51 minutes, but warned he was rolling the dice with the injury, which he admits could flare up any time.
"I'm feeling it all the time," Kyrgios said.
"It's not something that is just going to heal. I can compete so that's the most I can do at the moment."
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With his mother watching from the stands, the hot-headed Canberran kept his cool against an overmatched opponent who has been struggling with his own injury issues.
Tennis fans never quite know what to expect when Kyrgios steps onto the court.
Will it be the immensely skilled athlete hailed as a future grand slam winner or the pouty, petulant player going through the motions?
On the opening day, at least, the fans saw a motivated Kyrgios playing near his best and treating the crowd to a display of power and finesse.
The only lapse in an otherwise dominant effort was Kyrgios's inability to deliver the knockout punch with the 22-year-old needing seven match points to finish off the 45th ranked Serb.
"I just wanted to come out here and try and get the win," said Kyrgios.
"I've been struggling the last couple of months.
"He's been struggling as well with injuries so all the best to him but I'm just happy to get out here and get a win."
