Novak Djokovic off to a good start at the Italian Open

ATP Tour

Novak Djokovic had no problem seeing off Alexandr Dolgopolov in his opening match in Rome.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion has struggled to hit top form since he made his comeback from a small surgical procedure after the Australian Open, but he dealt with Dolgopolov with relative ease, winning 6-1, 6-3.

Djokovic will face either Nikoloz Basilashvili or Filippo Baldi in the second round.

Ninth seed David Goffin, who along with Djokovic lost against Britain’s Kyle Edmund in Madrid last week, also bounced back with a two-set win as he beat Leandro Mayer from Argentina 6-1, 6-2.

The 10th seed Pablo Carreno Busta overcame a poor second set to beat Jared Donaldson 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, and secure a clash against another American in Steve Johnson.

Kei Nishikori also didn’t have it all his own way as he beat Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to set up a second-round encounter against third seed Grigor Dimitrov, while German Philipp Kohlschreiber battled to a 7-5, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (8-6) win over Karen Khachanov from Russia.

Also through are Aljaz Bedene, who beat Gilles Muller 6-4, 6-4 and Marco Cecchinato, who overcame Pablo Cuevas 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.

ATP Tour David Goffin Italian Open Kei Nishikori Novak Djokovic

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