Top-seeded Novak Djokovic beat Florent Serra of France 6-2, 6-3 in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday.
Djokovic raced into a 4-0 lead in his first clay court match of the season, but faltered at times. He faced nine break points overall and lost his serve once in each set. He won on his first match point when Serra’s backhand return bounced out.
The second-ranked Serb next plays No. 13 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.
Nadal advances
Rafael Nadal thrashed Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-0 to win his 28th straight match at the Monte Carlo Masters.
The second-seeded Nadal broke serve five times in the match. The Spaniard has won five straight titles at Monte Carlo, where he hasn’t lost since a third round exit to Guillermo Coria in 2003.
Nadal next plays Michael Berrer after the German beat 14th-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-4, 6-4. Two-time former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, No. 11 David Ferrer of Spain, and Wawrinka also advanced in straight sets.