Thiem extends winning streak, Isner snaps losing streak

Wrapping up Tuesday’s action at ATP World Tour events around the globe …

Thiem, Monfils win in Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO, AP – Austrian second seed Dominic Thiem progressed to the second round of the ATP’s Rio Open with a straight-sets victory over Serbian Dusan Lajovic.

The defending champion, who last week won the Argentina Open, triumphed 6-2 7-5 and will play Spain’s Pablo Andujar next at the claycourt tournament.

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Gael Monfils earned a dramatic 7-5 3-6 7-5 victory over Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos.

The Frenchman will face top seed Marin Cilic of Croatia, who is playing his first tournament since he reached the Australian Open final in January.

Third seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain defeated Marco Cecchinato 6-4 6-1 in his first-round match.

Others to advance to the round of 16 were sixth-seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman, Uruguayan seventh seed Pablo Andujar, Nicolas Kicker, Federico Delbonis and Aljaz Bedene.

Del Potro, Isner winners in Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH, AP – Second seed Juan Martin del Potro broke serve four times to beat Jeremy Chardy in straight sets at the ATP’s Delray Beach Open.

The Argentine eased to a 6-2 6-4 win over the Frenchman to set up a round-of-16 meeting with Matthew Ebden’s conqueror Frances Tiafoe.

Sixth-seeded American John Isner overcame a slow start to beat Radu Albot.

Isner lost to Albot last week in the first round of the New York Open but bounced back after three successive defeats this year with the 5-7 6-3 6-4 win.

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German Peter Gojowczyk awaits Isner in the next round after his 3-6 7-5 6-1 victory over Lukas Lacko.

Fourth-seeded American Sam Querrey was a shock loser, going out to countryman Taylor Fritz 2-6 6-3 7-6(4).

Other first-round winners on Tuesday were Russian veteran Mikhail Youzhny, wildcard Reilly Opelka, Croatian qualifier Franko Skugor and Evgeny Donskoy.

Kokkinakis scores first official win in six months

CUERNAVACA, AAP – Injury-plagued Thanasi Kokkinakis has ended his six-month-long losing streak in style with a straight-sets win in Mexico.

The 21-year-old Australian wildcard on Tuesday knocked over Spaniard world No.299 Carlos Boluda-Purkiss 6-2 7-6(4) at the Morelos Open on the ATP’s second-tier Challenger Tour.

He won three exhibition matches at Perth’s Hopman Cup and Adelaide’s World Tennis Challenge in January but hadn’t tasted success delivering ranking points since August.

Since beating top-20 player Tomas Berdych last August, Kokkinakis has been a losing finalist in Los Cabos and a first-round departee at the US and Australian Opens.

He was almost driven to retirement after injuries to his shoulder, groin, pectoral and elbow in the past two years.

Kokkinakis reached a career-high rank of 69th in June 2015 but has played just 32 tour-level or Davis Cup matches in the 32 months since.

He next faces world No.292 Daniel Galan.