MIAMI (Reuters) - Marcos Baghdatis unleashed a series of powerful forehand winners to overwhelm Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Miami Open on Thursday.

The Cypriot compiled 26 winners, twice the number of his opponent, and broke the German's serve three times. The victory sets Baghdatis up for a second-round clash, and his first career meeting, with Australian Nick Kyrgios.

In other first round games on Thursday, Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan posted his first win of the year, and it took him nearly three hours to do so as he beat Croat teen Borna Coric 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

The world number 76 plays Andy Murray in the second round.

Novak Djokovic, coming off victory at Indian Wells, and Roger Federer, who has missed almost two months with a knee injury, take to the court on Friday.

Federer meets the man who beat him in the 2009 U.S. Open final, Juan Martin del Potro, while top seed Djokovic faces Briton Kyle Edmund.