Marcos notched his first match win of the 2017 ATP World Tour season, defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-4 at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Marcos prevailed after one hour and 37 minutes, firing seven aces and converting three of seven break points. He overcame an early deficit in the first set against the Frenchman, breaking back to love for 3-all, before claiming a second break for 6-4 on his third set point. In the second set, neither player's serve came under threat until the 10th game, when Marcos secured the victory on his first match point with a beautiful cross-court backhand winner.
"With an atmosphere like this, it's hard not to play well," Marcos said in an on-court interview. "It's an amazing atmosphere tonight and I had lots of fun. I played well, so I'm happy. I was solid on the baseline. I could have improved my first serve percentage a bit, but I won and I have a chance tomorrow to work on some things."
Marcos' next opponent in Auckland will be wild card Dustin Brown. He has won all four previous encounters against the charismatic German, including a straight-set win on the grass of Halle last year. He also prevailed in Munich 2012, Wimbledon 2014 and at the Irving Challenger in 2015.
