Cilic beats Bai in straight sets to claim first victory since becoming US Open champ

Croatian tennis ace Marin Cilic recorded his first victory since becoming the US Open champion as he beat Chinese wildcard Yan Bai in straight sets in the opening rounds of the China Open in Beijing.

Cilic, who won 6-3, 6-4, admitted to still being rusty after beating Bai. He said that putting extra pressure on himself as a Grand Slam winner would be dangerous.

Cilic, the fourth seed in Beijing, said that most important is not to put too many expectations on his own shoulders, The BBC reported.

Cilic is currently fifth in the race for the end of season ATP World Tour Finals in London. He must finish in the top eight to qualify for the tournament in November.

The world's top three players Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have already confirmed their places. And a good run for Cilic in Beijing, where he is seeded fourth, would greatly enhance his chances of qualifying.

The world number nine said that it is going to be a process for him, for sure, on all the tournaments to keep his level at the high point where he wants it to be. He said that he knows it's always difficult to start tournaments.

Cilic said that players are always looking at their opponent much more, adding that he thinks it's important for him to keep focusing on improvement of his game and try to recreate the game he had been playing in the US Open.

Elsewhere in the first round, Bulgarian fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov needed three sets to defeat Spain's Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

In the women's draw, world number one Serena Williams beat Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain 7-5, 6-2 while Ana Ivanovic made light work of Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, winning 6-2, 6-1, the report added.