James Ward through to Cincinnati second round

James Ward has defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in three sets to advance through to the second round of the Cincinnati Open.

The British number two stormed through qualifying with wins over Tobias Kamke and Paul-Henri Mathieu, and the 27-year-old continued his excellent form against the world number 32.

Ward took advantage of a slow start from the Spaniard to break twice to take a one-set advantage, but after missing seven break-point opportunities at the start of the second, Garcia-Lopez opened up a 4-1 lead.

However, after conceding the set, Ward stormed through the decider, moving 5-0 ahead before eventually running out a 6-2 3-6 6-1 victor to register his first win at a Masters Series tournament.

Ward will now play either Julien Benneteau or Blaz Rola in the last 32.