Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters by beating Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 6-3, 6-3 Tuesday. The Australian Open champion broke Ljubicic at love in the eighth game of the first set for a 5-3 lead and clinched the set with an ace. Using a two-handed backhand to counter Ljubicic's booming serve, Djokovic saved two break points in the eighth game of the second set but was rarely troubled. Two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin and Igor Andreev won in straight sets. Safin beat Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-3, 6-2, and Andreev defeated Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 7-5, 6-3. Safin next faces fifth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain, while Andreev plays eighth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia. “I came up with a straight-set win, which is very important for me at the start of the clay-court season,” Djokovic said. “I played my best tennis in the most important moments, and that's what actually matters most.” The third-seeded Serb will next meet No. 14 Andy Murray, who beat Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-4, 6-1. “I had to adapt my game a little bit,” Murray said. “I managed to do that with some important points in the first set. I probably made him come to the net quite a few times as well, with short slices and drop shots.” Murray is expecting a more difficult match against Djokovic. “Novak is No. 1 in the (ATP) race and won the first Grand Slam of the year,” Murray said. “So it's going to be tough.” Tommy Robredo of Spain beat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-4, 7-5 in the first round. Neither player looked comfortable in an error-strewn match, but the 12th-seeded Robredo capitalized on more opportunities and broke Wawrinka's serve six times. He next faces Robin Soderling of Sweden in the second round of the clay-court tournament. Ivo Karlovic of Croatia also advanced when Sebastien Grosjean retired with an injury while trailing 4-6, 6-4, 4-1. The Frenchman needed treatment on his thigh early in the third set. Also in the first round, Simone Bolelli of Italy beat Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 6-2, 6-2, and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland dominated Marc Gicquel of France 6-0, 6-4. No. 11 Juan Monaco of Argentina, Andreas Seppi of Italy and Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain also advanced in straight sets. Ramirez Hidalgo next plays Federer. Nadal faces Mario Ancic of Croatia. __
