Tomic out in opener

A HIGHLY anticipated first ATP match-up between Australians Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios has failed to eventuate with the Gold Coaster bowing out of his opening round match at the Madrid Open in Spain.

Tomic had his moments against American Ryan Harrison but went down 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 in 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Kyrgios had done his part the day before in a straight-sets first-round defeat of Marcos Baghdatis, advancing to play the winner of the TomicHarrison match.

But Tomic crumbled in the deciding set yesterday to ensure there would be no allAustralian fixture.

It had loomed as an intriguing clash on Tomic’s nonpreferred surface of clay after Kyrgios had given his sometime Davis Cup teammate short shrift for skipping Australia’s tie against the US in Brisbane last month.

It was the 39th-ranked Tomic’s seventh first-round loss this year.