With the top eight players on the men's and women's draws earning first round byes at the 2012 Italian Open, you'll have to wait until Round 2 to see names like Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Still, several highly-ranked players were in action Monday, a day so far highlighted by wins by the 13 seeds, Gael Monfils and Ana Ivanovic.
Monfils drew Alex Bogomolov Jr. of Russia in the first round, and won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. He took Bogomolov to break point 14 times during the match, ultimately converting five of his opportunities. Monfils served well throughout the match, scoring on 70 percent of his first serves. He moves on to face Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round, a 6-4, 7-5, winner over Kevin Anderson.
Ivanovic also won in straight sets, with only slightly more trouble than Monfils. She took out Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3, breaking the Russian on all five of her opportunities. Kuznetsova had her chances, taking Ivanovic to break point seven times, but only converted twice in the loss. Ivanovic moves on to face the winner between Alberta Brianti and Silvia Soler-Espinosa in the second round.
You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Italian Open. For more, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.
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