Bernard Tomic thumped in Beijing opener
Bernard Tomic was a first-round casualty in Beijing. Photo: AP
Bernard Tomic has been thrashed in the opening round of the Beijing Open, going down to Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets.
It was an insipid performance from the Australian world No.22 who went into the match favoured over the No.38.
Tomic was dispatched in just 48 minutes, going down 6-3 6-1.
Meanwhile fifth-seeded David Ferrer advanced to the quarter-finals of with a 6-3 6-4 win over Fabio Fognini.
Ferrer, who reached the China Open final in 2010 and the semi-finals last year before losing to Novak Djokovic both times, is still chasing his first title of the season.
The Spaniard has won at least one ATP title in all but one year since 2006.
British qualifier Kyle Edmund had a 6-4 4-6 6-4 upset win over seventh-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut and could meet No.1-ranked Andy Murray in the next stage.
On the women’s side, US Open runner-up Karolina Pliskova rallied for a tough 3-6 7-5 7-6 (9-7) win over 19-year-old Daria Kasatkina in almost two-and-a-half hours, and Johanna Konta wrapped up a rain-delayed 7-5 6-2 win over Timea Babos.
Elina Svitolina beat Sabine Lisicki 6-4 6-4, and Caroline Garcia fended off Peng Shuai 6-3 2-6 7-6 (7-4), ending a tournament for the Chinese wildcard that started with an upset first-round win over Venus Williams.
