Fernando Verdasco eases past Filippo Volandri at Qatar Open

Fernando Verdasco has booked his place in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open by defeating Filippo Volandri in straight sets in Doha.

© AFP

It was Italy's Volandri who got off to the better start, holding serve before breaking Verdasco at the first time of asking to move ahead.

Eighth seed Verdasco broke straight back though, and snapped Volandri's serve twice more in the opening set to win it 6-3 in just under half-an-hour.

Verdasco broke Volandri's serve in the fourth game of the second set and held serve from there on to close it out again 6-3.

He will face either Portugal's Joao Sousa or Victor Hanescu of Romania in round two.