AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Former Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian moved on, while fifth-seeded Juan Monaco lost in straight sets to French qualifier Adrian Mannarino in first-round action Tuesday at the $450,000 Heineken Open, a final Australian Open tune-up.
The sixth-seeded Nalbandian opened his 2011 campaign by handling Italian Fabio Fognini 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, while the Argentine Monaco succumbed to Mannarino in 6-4, 6-3 fashion on the hardcourts at ASB Tennis Centre.
Meanwhile, No. 7 seed Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil outlasted American Michael Russell 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, and Arnaud Clement, last year's Auckland runner- up and a former Aussie Open finalist, topped last week's Chennai runner-up Xavier Malisse 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
The wild card Clement lost to 6-foot-9 American John Isner in last year's finale here.
In other opening-round action, Romanian Victor Hanescu downed South African Kevin Anderson 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (3-7), 6-4; German Philipp Petzschner got past Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3); German Tobias Kamke cruised by Spanish qualifier Pere Riba 6-3, 6-4; Spaniard Marcel Granollers doused American qualifier Bobby Reynolds 6-4, 6-3; and Dutchman Robin Haase snuck past Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3).
The second round will be staged here on Wednesday, including matches for top- seeded Spaniards David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro, a third-seeded Isner and Nalbandian. The 2007 Auckland titlist Ferrer will take on Kamke.
