COLOGNE, Germany -- John Millman beat Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-2 to set up a second-round meeting with top-seeded Alexander Zverev at the Cologne Championship on Tuesday.
Millman needed 1 hour, 39 minutes to beat the player who knocked Andy Murray out of the Cologne Indoors tournament last week.
The two back-to-back competitions in Cologne were added to the provisional schedule following the suspension of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
American Tennys Sandgren lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain defeated Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-3 and will face American Steve Johnson in the second round.
Also, there were straightforward wins for Oscar Otte over Dennis Novak, 6-3, 6-2, and Jannik Sinner beat James Duckworth 6-1, 6-2. The 19-year-old Sinner next plays Herbert.
