Millman wins tough 1st-round match at Astana Open

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (AP) — Defending champion John Millman has come through a tough first-round match against local qualifier Dmitry Popko at the Astana Open. But sixth-seeded Benoit Paire was eliminated in his opening match. Millman needed 2 hours, 9 minutes to get past Popko 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Popko was a break up in the decider before Millman recovered to win the match. The Australian books a second-round match against Spain’s Jaume Munar. Paire was beaten 7-5, 6-4 by Egor Gerasimov despite having been a break up in each set. Gerasimov next plays either Carlos Taberner or Ricardas Berankis.