Bellucci guns down Baghdatis

Geneva - Two-time Swiss Open champion Thomaz Bellucci has ousted seventh-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the Geneva Open on Monday.

Bellucci, a left-hander from Brazil, carried over the form which saw him push Novak Djokovic to three sets at the Italian Open last week.

After wasting a 5-2 lead in the first set, 60th-ranked Bellucci held serve the rest of the way on his favored clay-court surface.

Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, who followed Bellucci as champion at Gstaad in 2013, beat Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5), getting just his sixth tour win this year.

Another Russian, Andrey Kuznetsov, beat fifth-seeded Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria 6-2, 6-4, while sixth-seeded Joao Sousa of Portugal defeated his near-namesake Joao Souza of Brazil 7-5, 6-3.

Sousa next plays Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who beat Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina 6-2, 6-3. Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain beat Marinko Matosevic of Australia 7-6 (2), 6-2.

The Geneva Open is debuting on the ATP tour after replacing an event in Duesseldorf, Germany.

Top-seeded Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland has a bye into the second round.

Second-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia, the US Open champion, plays in the featured match Tuesday against 17-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev, the 2014 French Open junior singles winner.

Results from ATP Geneva Open on Monday (x denotes seed):

First round
Thomaz Belluci (BRA) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP x7) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3
Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) bt Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT x5) 6-2, 6-4
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-2, 6-3
Joo Sousa (POR x6) bt Joao Souza (BRA) 7-5, 6-3
Albert Ramos (ESP) bt Marinko Matosevic (AUS) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x8) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5)