MONTPELLIER, France (AP) — Defending champion Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia overcame a slow start to beat Taylor Dent of the United States 7-5, 6-4 Thursday in the second round of the Open Sud de France.
The fourth-seeded Ljubicic, who dropped his serve once in the opening set, had five aces and broke Dent’s serve three times.
Ljubicic won the title when the tournament was played in Lyon last year and in 2001. He will play either Richard Gasquet or Jarkko Nieminen in the quarterfinals.
