Janko Tipsarevic won in straight sets against Nicolas Almagro as The Boodles 2016 got off to an entertaining start.

The Serbian was on top early on as he raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, which ended 6-2, before Almagro grew into proceedings more.

The second set was an altogether tighter affair as Spaniard Almagro looked to take the game to Tipsarevic from the opening game.

His ground strokes were a particularly potent weapon, but a lack of consistency saw him struggle to turn an improved performance into a winning position.

Instead the set went all the way to a tie breaker as neither man forced an opportunity to break the other’s serve.

Almagro’s hold in the ninth game of the set was particularly impressive and saw him maintain his composure during a keenly contested deuce.

The tie breaker itself proved to be just as tight as the set, but Tipsarevic always looked the more likely to emerge victorious as he first eased to a 4-2 lead before holding his nerve to win 8-6.

The match was also notable for the light-hearted atmosphere which normally goes hand in hand with The Boodles.

Both Almagro and Tipsarevic played up to the Stoke Park crowd with trick shots and feigned injustice at umpires calls throughout.

The Boodles will once again play host to world number one and current Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic who compete later in the week in what is a star-studded line-up.