Rome, Italy (Sports Network) - World No. 4 Andy Murray was a hard-fought
second-round winner Tuesday at the Italian Open -- the fifth ATP World Tour
Masters 1000 event of the year.
Murray staved off former top-five Argentine star David Nalbandian 6-1, 4-6,
7-5 on the red clay at the beautiful Foro Italico. The former Wimbledon
runner-up Nalbandian was a Rome finalist back in 2004.
Meanwhile, sixth-seeded David Ferrer reached the third round by handling
fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) on Day 3, while 10th-seeded
Argentine slugger Juan Martin del Potro snuck past capable lefthanded
Frenchman Michael Llodra 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the second round. The 6-foot-6
former U.S. Open champion del Potro was a clay-court winner in Portugal two
weeks ago.
Eleventh-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon moved into round two with a 6-2, 7-5
victory over American Donald Young, while former Rome titlist Juan Carlos
Ferrero ousted 13th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-3 to reach the third
round. The former world No. 1 and former French Open champion Ferrero, of
Spain, reigned in Rome back in 2001.
In some other first-round action involving seeds, No. 14 Argentine Juan Monaco
mauled Romanian qualifier Adrian Ungur 6-2, 6-2, Marcel Granollers erased No.
15 fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4, and nifty No. 16 Frenchman
Richard Gasquet topped Austrian lefthander Jurgen Melzer 6-1, 7-6 (8-6).
Additional opening-round action saw American qualifier Sam Querrey edge out
Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-4, Pole Lukasz Kubot best
Italian wild card Potito Starace 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, and qualifier Guillermo
Garcia-Lopez ground fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-1.
The 2012 Rome champion will earn $595,000.
The Sports Network