Former champions Juan Carlos Ferrero and Albert Costa advanced to the second round of the Open Seat Godo without 2003 winner Carlos Moya on Monday.
Ferrero (2001 title) defeated Belgium's Kristof Vliegen 6-1, 6-2 with four service breaks, and Costa (1997) delayed his retirement for at least a round by beating American Vince Spadea 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-1.
Moya, however, lost to Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev 7-5, 6-4.
Ferrero and Costa were among eight Spaniards to win on the opening day, but none was more celebrated than Costa, the former French Open champion who announced he would play his farewell tournament this week before a home crowd in his 14th successive appearance at Real Club.
The 30-year-old Costa's defeat of Spadea marked his first win on the main ATP tour since August, and he'll play eighth-seeded Dominik Hrbaty next.
Moya, who'd reached two finals this year and won in Buenos Aires, lost consecutive first-round matches for the first time since January 2005 when he was upset by 18-year-old Korolev. The Moscow teen made his tour debut only in February, and stunned then 7th-ranked Nikolay Davydenko in Marseille.
Nicolas Almagro, who won his maiden ATP title in Valencia just over a week ago, easily beat Andrei Pavel of Romania 6-4, 6-2, and the Spaniard will play French teenager Gael Monfils, who beat Italian qualifier Stefano Galvani 6-2, 7-5.
Fifth-seeded Arnaud Clement of France put out 2005 runner-up Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the Grand Prix Hassan II on Monday.
Also, sixth-seeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria followed his run to the singles and doubles final at Houston by beating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
Melzer will play Jiri Vanek in the second round after the Czech downed Spain's Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 7-5, 1-6, 6-4.
The only other seed in action, No. 4 Andreas Seppi of Italy, lost to Bjorn Phau of Germany 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Algeria's Slimane Saoudi appeared in his first ATP main draw since the 2002 US Open and defeated another qualifier, Czech David Skoch 6-3, 6-2.
Italy's Alessio di Mauro and Nicolas Mahut also won.
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