Nick Kyrgios marked his comeback at the Stuttgart Open with a win as he defeated eighth seed Corentin Moutet in straight sets on Tuesday. 

Kyrgios, playing in his first competitive match since the Brisbane International in January, needed just 68 minutes to confirm his impressive 6-3 6-4 triumph. 

The former Wimbledon finalist will play qualifier Sho Shimabukuro for a spot in the next round, and he will be full of confidence heading into that clash. 

Kyrgios laid the foundations for his victory in the second game of the opening set, getting the better of Moutet's serve to surge into a deserved 3-0 lead. 

And though Moutet eventually found his rhythm, the damage had already been done by the Australian, who then broke his opponent in the first game of the second set. 

From there, Kyrgios comfortably held on and sealed his first grass-court win since his run to the final at Wimbledon four years ago with a forehand winner down the left baseline. 

Kyrgios will be joined in the next round by Frances Tiafoe, who edged a three-set thriller against Daniel Altmaier in a match that saw the American save seven break points. 

Tiafoe, who was dumped out in the fourth round by Matteo Arnaldi, responded well to that setback with a hard-earned 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4 triumph on Centre Court. 

At the Libema Open, however, defending champion Gabriel Diallo saw his title defence end at the first hurdle after he was beaten over three sets by Adrian Mannarino. 

Mannarino won 6-4 3-6 7-5 against the Canadian, though another former champion in Tallon Griekspoor is in a good position to reach the next round in s-Hertogenbosch. 

The sixth seed led 6-2 6-7(2-7), 2-0 in an all-Dutch meeting with Botic van de Zandschulp before rain forced play to be cancelled for the day.

Kyrgios wins again ahead of potential Wimbledon return

Following his victory over Moutet, Kyrgios cut an emotional figure on the court after an injury-hit few years that has seen him play just a handful of matches. This was his first singles win in a competitive match since October 2022, when he beat Kamil Majchrzak in Tokyo. 

It was a performance that showed glimpses of the success Kyrgios enjoyed before his series of injury issues, with the Australian not facing a single break point throughout the match, while also serving up eight aces and winning 83% (40/48) of his first-serve points.

Wimbledon organisers will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on how Kyrgios progresses through the tournament, and if he can string another win or two together, it would be tough to see a world where they wouldn't consider him for a wildcard spot.