BARCELONA, Spain – Milos Raonic, a Canadian who trains in Barcelona, won on clay for the first time this year, beating Colombia's Alejandro Falla 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the first round of the Barcelona Open.
Raonic served seven aces in tight match to win for the first time in a month.
No. 18 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan was the only seeded player to lose Monday in this tuneup for the French Open. He was beaten by Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Jarkko Nieminen of Finland and Robin Haase of the Netherlands also won.
Rafael Nadal's bid for a seventh Barcelona title begins later in the week. The second-ranked Spaniard won the Monte Carlo Masters for the eighth straight time last week.
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