Verdasco, Melzer, Dolgopolov win at Monte Carlo

On day 2 at the Monte Carlo Masters 2012 Fernando Verdasco, Jurgen Melzer and Alexandr Dolgopolov were among the first round winners.

Verdasco beat Olivier Rochus 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 and will next play Ivan Dodig.

Dolgopolov defeated Juan Igancio Chela 6-2, 6-2, setting up a match against Bernard Tomic while Melzer downed Lukasz Kubot 6-2, 7-5 and will next meet Julien Benneteau, who beat Marcel Granollers 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

Fernando dropped serve twice in the first set but didn't face another break point.

"I've got to the final here before, so it's one of my favorite tournaments," said Verdasco.

Tomic scored a 6-4, 6-3 win over Denis Istomin.

"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."

Albert Montanes advanced with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 against Milos Raonic. The Spaniard next plays Janko Tipsarevic.

Paul-Henri Mathieu thrashed Donald Young 6-0, 6-1. He 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 faces the winner of the match between Kei Nishikori and Albert Ramos.

In other first-round matches, Philipp Kohlschreiber won 6-4, 6-4 against Guillaume Rufin and Jarkko Nieminen beat Radek Stepanek 6-3, 7-6.


Source AP