Rome, Italy (SportsNetwork.com) - Two-time champion Novak Djokovic was a straight-set second-round winner Tuesday at the $4 million Italian Masters tennis event.
The second-seeded former world No. 1 star handled 35-year-old Czech veteran Radek Stepanek 6-3, 7-5 at Foro Italico. Djokovic committed just nine unforced errors, compared to 27 for Stepanek.
Djokovic, who is also a two-time runner-up in Rome. received a bye into the second round and is appearing in his first event after being sidelined with a wrist injury for three weeks.
In opening-round action on Day 3, 15th-seeded 36-year-old German Tommy Haas held off Italian Andreas Seppi 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
Also in round one, Russian Dmitry Tursunov topped Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-0, 7-6 (7-4); South African Kevin Anderson dismissed Canadian Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 7-6 (7-4); Latvian Ernests Gulbis doused Colombian lucky loser Alejandro Falla 6-1, retired; Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev bested Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 7-5; and Croat Marin Cilic took care of Colombian Santiago Giraldo 6-4, 2-0, retired at this clay court French Open tune-up.
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