VALENCIA, Spain (AP) Spain's Fernando Verdasco delighted the home crowd at the Valencia Open with a 6-4, 6-1 win over American qualifier Michael Russell in the first round Monday.
Verdasco broke Russell five times on the hard indoor court at the City of Arts and Sciences. The third-seeded Spaniard won the tournament in 2004, when it was played on clay.
Verdasco snapped a four-match losing streak and got his bid to qualify for the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals back on track.
Stanislas Wawrinka came through a tough match against Andreas Seppi, winning 7-6 (2), 7-5 to join Verdasco in the second round.