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Nadal, Ljubicic win Monte-Carlo openers

MONTE CARLO, Monaco, April 18 (UPI) -- Two of the top four seeds, Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Croat Ivan Ljubicic, were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the $2.55 million Monte-Carlo Masters.

Second-seeded and defending champion Nadal defeated Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-4, and fourth-seeded Ljubicic beat Russian Igor Andreev 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

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Nadal, the French Open champion, beat Argentine Guillermo Coria in a five-set finale here a year ago.

Nadal, 19, ran his clay-court winning streak to 37 matches and will meet French wild card Jean-Rene Lisnard in Wednesday's second-round action.

In an upset, Swede Robin Soderling defeated fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

Two other top-eight seeds advanced, as a No. 6 Coria whipped Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-1 and No. 8 Spaniard David Ferrer beat Chilean Nicolas Massu 6-0, 4-6, 6-2.

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