Second-seeded Fernando Verdasco Spain was eliminated in the first round of the Mexican Open, losing 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to Brazil Thomaz Bellucci Tuesday.
Verdasco lost in the first round of the RMK Championships in Memphis last week by Milos Raonic, who won the SAP Open final last week.
Bellucci converted 75 percent of his break points and won 70 percent of his service points to beat Verdasco in just over two hours Tuesday night.
Previously, third-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain took a step toward confidence in his third consecutive title with an easy 6-3, 6-2 to Victor Hanescu of Romania. Almagro won the Copa Claro Sunday in Buenos Aires and the Brazil Open last week, both on clay, the surface in Mexico.
Fourth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland also made a winning start, beating Pablo Andujar of Spain 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in the city of ATP and WTA in the Mexican Pacific resort coastal.
The defending champion and seeded David Ferrer reached the second round on Monday and No 2 Fernando Verdasco of Spain late in the match played on Tuesday against Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil.
Fifth-seeded Albert Montanes defeated the Spanish countryman Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2, 6-1, and seventh-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina rose to the second round after beating fellow Horacio Zeballos 7 -5, 7-6 (3).
There was bad news for No. 8 Juan Ignacio Chela, who retired in the second set against fellow Argentine Eduardo Schwank with scores of 3-6, 6-5.
