BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain and No. 4 seed Argentine Juan Monaco posted first-round wins Tuesday at the Copa Telmex tennis event in Buenos Aires.
Ferrer downed German Simon Greul 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) and moves on to face Portugal's Frederico Gil, while hometown hero Monaco -- who won the Copa Telmex in 2008 and was runner-up last year -- dispatched Poland's Lukasz Kubot 6-4, 7-6 (7-1).
Second-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero, coming off last week's win the Brasil Open, registered a win, decimating Brazil's Ricardo Mello 6-1, 6-2 on the red clay courts.
Argentine David Nalbandian, the 2008 Buenos Aires champion, completed a rain-suspended match from Monday, downing Italian Potito Starace 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) in his first match since undergoing hip surgery last May.
