Marcos is through to the second round of the Malaysian Open after topping Carlos Berlocq 7-6(3), 6-3 on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur.
Marcos looked to be in trouble when he trailed 4-5, 0/30 in the first set, but he rallied to take the opener in a tie-break and an early break in the second set secured the win in one hour and 32 minutes.
Victory for Marcos avenged the defeat he suffered at the hands of Berlocq in ‘s-Hertogenbosch earlier this year and earned him a second-round clash with No. 2 seed Stanislas Wawrinka. Marcos and Wawrinka clashed recently in the US Open third round, where Wawrinka prevailed in four tight sets before going on to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
"I was a bit stressed in the first few games. The first match is always tough," said Marcos. "But as the game went on I felt better and better, so I'm very happy I went through today and I'm looking forward to playing another match.
"I haven't had the year I wanted," said Marcos, who has suffered 12 first-round losses in 2013. "In the middle of the season it was very awkward and very strange. But I'm happy I went through today. I have a chance against Wawrinka. For sure he's having a great year and he's playing his best tennis. It will be very tough, but I'll have my chances and I'll try to find a way to take them and win."
Marcos will look to overturn a 0-3 head-to-head record against Wawrinka. The match is scheduled for 7pm on Thursday evening in Kuala Lumpur.
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