Swiss prospect Stricker beats Cilic in ATP tour debut

<p>GENEVA &mdash; With Roger Federer watching his ATP tour debut, 18-year-old Swiss prospect Dominic Stephan Stricker beat former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6 (5), 6-1 Tuesday in the first round of the Geneva Open.</p>
<p>Stricker, last year’s French Open junior champion, is ranked 419th. Cilic, who won his only Grand Slam singles title in 2014, is ranked 46th.</p>
<p>The Swiss left-hander had nine aces and no double-faults. He broke Cilic’s serve four times and was broken only twice.</p>
<p>“I was getting nervous," Stricker said. "It was actually OK until 5-1, 30-love. I was happy to finish it at 6-1 and not serve again.”</p>
<p>Stricker has practiced previously with Federer, who watched some of the play before following him on court in a second-round match against Pablo Andujar.</p>
<p>Stricker’s next opponent will be 40th-ranked Marton Fucsovics. The winner could face the top-seeded Federer in the quarterfinals.</p>
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