Madrid Open: Milos Raonic overcame veteran Nikolay Davydenko

Big-hitting Canadian Milos Raonic squeaked past veteran Nikolay Davydenko 7-5 7-6 to reach the second round of the Madrid Open on Monday.

The 12th seed managed one break of the Davydenko serve to secure the first set and edged the second-set tiebreak 7-5 against the former world No 3.

Raonic, at 22 is almost 10 years younger than his Russian opponent, but there was nothing between them at times in a tight encounter on the clay surface.

After the match, Raonic admitted that he needed to iron out a few "crucial mistakes" in his game as he prepares to face Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, whom he has never beaten on clay, in the next round.

"I've just got to clean up crucial mistakes, take care of my serve, create a couple of opportunities on his serve and make the most of them," he said.
Mayer awaits Murray

Meanwhile, Japanese 14th seed Kei Nishikori closed in on a potential third-round meeting with world No 2 Roger Federer after dispatching Austria's Jurgen Melzer 6-3 6-2.

World No 3 Andy Murray begins his campaign on Tuesday when he plays his first-round match against unseeded German Florian Mayer who defeated Australian Marinko Matosevic 6-2 6-7 (3) 6-4.

Meanwhile, defending Madrid Open champion Federer begin his title defence with a first-round match against veteran Czech Radek Stepanek.

And Novak Djokovic will take on the winner of the match between highly-rated Grigor Dimitrov and Spain's Javier Marti.