GENEVA — 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.
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.
The Swiss left-hander had nine aces and no double-faults. He broke Cilic’s serve four times and was broken only twice.
“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.”
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.
Stricker’s next opponent will be 40th-ranked Marton Fucsovics. The winner could face the top-seeded Federer in the quarterfinals.
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