Third-seeded Jurgen Melzer defeated Daniel Brands of Germany 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the second round of the Zagreb Indoors tournament on Monday.
The left-handed Austrian was broken while serving for the first set at 5-3, but broke back the next game to secure the set.
Brands squandered his opportunities, winning just one of eight break points, and lost his serve again in the eighth game of the second set.
Melzer will next play Belgian Olivier Rochus, who ousted Igor Kunitsyn of Russia, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Fourth-seeded Viktor Troicki of Serbia, a semifinalist last year, didn't drop his serve in a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Rainer Schuettler of Germany.
Troicki will next play Mikhail Kukushkin from Kazakhstan, who defeated Mischa Zverev of Germany 6-4, 6-3.
Croatian wild card Ivan Dodig saved four set points in the opening set against eighth-seeded Evgeny Korolev. The Russian led 6-4, 8-7 and 9-8 in the tiebreaker but Dodig prevailed to win 7-6 (9), 6-4.
Dodig will take on Illya Marchenko of Ukraine, who beat Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-2, 6-4.
Top-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia will play his first match on Wednesday against Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
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