By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Ricardas Berankis was a first-round winner Sunday at the $530,000 Nice Open, a final clay-court French Open tune-up.
Berankis topped Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin, the No. 8 seed, 6-2, 6-2 at the Nice Lawn Tennis Club.
The Lithuanian will play Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the second round. The French wild card advanced when Colombian Alejandro Falla retired with a left calf injury after dropping the first set 7-5.
Spaniard Nicolas Almagro captured a second straight Nice title by beating American Brian Baker in last year's finale.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/berankis-knocks-off-istomin-in-nice-opener