Ferrer, Almagro win Acapulco openers

Acapulco, Mexico – David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro both won round matches Tuesday at the $1.155 million Mexican Open tennis event.

The top-seeded Ferrer straight-setted Mexican wild card Santiago Gonzalez, dropping only three games in the 64-minute dismantling. Almagro, the tournament's second seed, fended off Spanish qualifier Pere Riba 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 on the red clay at The Fairmont Acapulco Princess.

Ferrer topped Almagro in last week's title match in Buenos Aires, where Almagro was fresh off his championship in Sao Paulo the week before. Ferrer is also the two-time reigning champion here in Acapulco, where he topped Almagro in last year's all-Spanish finale. Almagro titled here back-to-back in 2008 and 2009.

Argentine Carlos Berlocq knocked out third-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, while sixth-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco retired in the second set of his match against Spaniard Albert Ramos. Monaco, who cited dehydration, dropped the first set in a tiebreaker and trailed 5-3 in the second.

Fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan advanced to the second round when Spaniard Albert Montanes retired with a back injury, while eighth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco leveled Italian Filippo Volandri 6-0, 6-2.

Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka rallied to beat 2010 finalist and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Other first-round winners were Colombia's Santiago Giraldo, Poland's Lukasz Kubot and Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.

The 2012 Acapulco champ will receive a check for $277,915.