Marcos turned in an efficient performance in dispatching fifth seed Viktor Troicki on Monday evening at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Needing exactly 90 minutes, Marcos prevailed 7-6(2), 6-2, firing six aces and converting on three of six break opportunities. He was dominant on serve, claiming 23 of 25 (92%) first serve points.
Marcos, who will face Canada's Vasek Pospisil in the second round in Dubai, rebounded nicely after falling behind 3-1 in the first set against Troicki. He would benefit from three straight unforced errors in the first set tiebreak, reeling off 10 points in a row in capturing the opening set and holding to start the second. A Troicki double fault would give him the decisive break in the sixth game, before breaking again for the match.
Making his seventh appearance at the ATP World Tour 500 event, Marcos improved to 5-1 in his head-to-head against Troicki and will look to continue the momentum when he faces Pospisil, having split their two previous encounters.
