Monaco, Bolelli win Madrid openers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Madrid, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) - Juan Monaco of Argentina and Italy's Simone Bolelli were first-round winners Sunday at the Madrid Open.
Monaco cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Spanish wild card Nicolas Almagro, while Bolelli knocked off 15th-seeded South African Kevin Anderson, 6-4, 6-3.
Only two main draw matches were played Sunday at the Magic Box in this clay Masters 1000 event.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The top-seed for this French Open tune-up is Roger Federer, who will enter the tournament after winning the inaugural Istanbul Open on Sunday. The 17-time Grand Slam champion won this title in 2009 and 2012, beating Rafael Nadal each time. He also won in 2006 when the tournament was played in the fall on hard courts, and last played at the Magic Box in 2013, falling to Kei Nishikori in the round of 16.
Nadal is also entered this week and is the third seed. He is the two-time defending champion and a four-time Madrid winner, beating Nishikori in last year's final.
Andy Murray is the other former winner in the draw. Seeded second this week, he won the 2008 title in the fall on a hard court.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The top eight seeds -- Federer, Murray, Nadal, Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer and Stan Wawrinka -- all receive first-round byes.