MONTE CARLO, Monaco (AP) — Tenth-seeded David Goffin won an all-Belgian contest to reach the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday as the first big tournament of the clay court season got underway.
Goffin broke Steve Darcis five times and needed just 72 minutes to post a 6-2, 6-1 win at the Country Club.
"I played well from the start," said Goffin, who will be up against either Nicolas Almagro or a qualifier in the next round. "I made him run a lot. I was playing very well tactically. I was playing the right way. I'm very happy with that. It's never easy to play against a friend."
Frenchman Gilles Simon, a former semifinalist in Monte Carlo, set up a second-round match with former top-ranked and two-time champion Novak Djokovic by defeating Malek Jaziri 6-2, 6-2.
Joao Sousa also advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Florian Mayer.