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Monday, Apr 16, 2012 3:48 PM UTC

Verdasco, Melzer advance at Monte Carlo Masters

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Verdasco, Melzer advance at Monte Carlo MastersDonald Young of USA plays a return to France's paul Henri Mathieu during their match of the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters tournament in Monaco, Monday, April 16 , 2012. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)(Credit: AP)

MONACO (AP) — Fernando Verdasco of Spain and Jurgen Melzer of Austria advanced to the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Monday.

The 13th-seeded Verdasco, a finalist in 2010, dropped serve twice in the first set, but then did not face another break point in beating Belgium’s Olivier Rochus 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. He next plays Croatia’s Ivan Dodig.

The 15th-seeded Melzer had an easier match, breaking Poland’s Lukasz Kubot five times en route to a 6-2, 7-5 win. He next faces Marcel Granollers of Spain or Frenchman Julien Benneteau.

Paul-Henri Mathieu, trying to find his way back after a long-term knee injury, thrashed Donald Young 6-0, 6-1. The Frenchman saved four break points of his own and broke Young’s serve six times.

“I was happy the way I was moving, and I was keeping the ball in the court,” Mathieu said. “I don’t have the knees of a 20-year-old anymore. But I’m able to play 100 percent without any problems. Things are improving.”

Mathieu next plays No. 12 Kei Nishikori of Japan or Spain’s Albert Ramos, runner-up Sunday at the Grand Prix Hassan II tournament.

In other first-round matches, Australia’s Bernard Tomic, Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany and Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen won in straight sets.

The 19-year-old Tomic was happy with how he mixed sliced forehands with heavy groundstrokes in his 6-4, 6-3 win against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.

“Regardless of any surface, he’s pretty hard to play against,” Tomic said. “A lot of clay-court players play behind the line. But I think my tennis is something different. If I play my tennis, they struggle with my game even on clay.”

Kohlschreiber won 6-4, 6-4 against Frenchman Guillaume Rufin, while Nieminen beat fellow veteran Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 (3) to earn a second-round match against seven-time defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain.

More Jerome Pugmire.

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