Fernando Verdasco, Gael Monfils advance in Argentina Open

Spain's Fernando Verdasco. (Ng Han Guan/AP)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Fernando Verdasco and Gael Monfils won their first-round matches in the Argentina Open on Tuesday, and Australian Open semifinalist Kyle Edmund withdrew from the tournament due to illness.

The eighth-seeded Verdasco advanced on clay in Buenos Aires with a 6-2, 7-5 victory against Thiago Monteiro of Brazil and next plays Guido Pella of Argentina.

Monfils beat Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas 6-1, 6-4. The Frenchman faces Dusan Lajovic of Serbia in the next round.

Edmund withdrew from his scheduled match against Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena because of a throat infection.

Top-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria plays Wednesday.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.