David Ferrer has eased into the third round of the Italian Open with an emphatic 6-1 6-2 win over Mikhail Kukushkin this evening.
The Kazakhstan player won his opening service game against the fifth seed, but lost five games in a row to allow the Spaniard to comfortably wrap up the opener.
It looked like it would be a swift match for Ferrer when he raced to a 5-0 lead in the second just over 45 minutes into the tie.
However, the world number 60 got a break back to deny Ferrer as he tried to serve for the match, before holding his own serve in the next game.
The 32-year-old kept his nerve on his own serve next time around to wrap up the match in just over an hour.
Ferrer faces either Stephane Robert or Ernests Gulbis in the next round.
Written by
Sian Cowper
Sian Cowper
