Nadal/Verdasco, Inglot/Murray Cruise In Monte-Carlo Doubles

Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco returned to their winning ways in doubles at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Monday. The Spanish duo, who had to withdraw before their second-round match at the Miami Open presented by Itau, won 82 per cent of their service points to beat ATP World Tour veterans Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany and Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-4, 6-2.

In the second round, Nadal and Verdasco, a wild card entry, will face No. 3 seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who received a first-round bye. Herbert and Mahut are trying to become only the second team since the ATP World Tour Masters 1000s began in 1990 to win the first three Masters 1000 titles of the year. The Frenchmen won back-to-back titles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (d. Pospisil/Sock) and in Miami (d. Klaasen/Ram). They enter Monte-Carlo on a 10-match winning streak.

Another notable singles player also was successful in doubles on Monday. Andy Murray teamed with compatriot Dominic Inglot to beat Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas and Spain’s Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-4. The Brits broke their opponents three times to win in an hour and six minutes. Inglot and Murray will face the No. 7 seeds Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic.

Swede Robert Lindstedt and Austrian Alexander Peya beat the French team of Jeremy Chardy and Gilles Simon 2-6, 6-3, 10-8. They’ll play the No. 6 seeds Rohan Bopanna of India and Florin Mergea of Romania.

Treat Huey of the Philippines and Max Mirnyi of Belarus also were victorious, beating Italians Fabio Fognini and Paolo Lorenzi 1-6, 7-6(5), 10-8. They’ll meet the Polish team of Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski, the No. 8 seeds.