World number one Novak Djokovic moved smoothly into the third round of the Rome Masters with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Spain’s Albert Montanes yesterday.
It was just what the Serbian needed after his early exit in Madrid last week and, although Montanes briefly led by a break early on, there were no real alarms for the top seed.
Djokovic said: “This win means a lot to me for several reasons. I didn’t have a great week in Madrid. I’ve been here for six days trying to work very hard and prepare myself for this tournament.”
Other results: Federer bt Starace 6-1 6-2; Berdych bt Istomin 6-4 6-0; Del Portro bt Kuznetsov 6-3 6-2.