Mikhail Youzhny has secured a place in the second round of the Italian Open after beating France's Nicolas Mahut 6-4 6-4 this evening.
The 14th seed did not face a single break point as he wrapped up the match in just under 90 minutes.
Mahut made few mistakes in the opening set, but a late push from the Russian gave him a break and allowed him to claim a one-set lead on his own serve in the next game.
The second set was also tight until Youzhny used his power to break his opponent in the seventh game, before holding serve during his remaining two games to see out the match.
Youzhny will face either Fernando Verdasco or qualifier Andrey Golubev in the next round.
