Grigor Dimitrov overcomes sweaty hands to advance in Rome

Grigor Dimitrov overcame a slow start and sweaty hands to beat 45th-ranked Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Italian Open on Monday.

The 14th-ranked Dimitrov, a Bulgarian who at 22 is the youngest player in the top 20, did not take well to the red-and-white towels at the Foro Italico.

"They're new and they don't absorb any sweat," he said. "Three or four times I was about to lose my racket. I asked several times (for all-white towels) but they told me, 'We don't have it.'"

Dimitrov will next face big-serving Ivo Karlovic, who beat Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

In an upset, 13th-seeded Fabio Fognini, the top Italian hope, was handily beaten by 56th-ranked Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2.

Also, 11th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saved two set points in the second set before eliminating Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 7-6 (5).

In women's play, Sam Stosur beat Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 6-3; 11th-seeded Ana Ivanovic defeated Italian wild-card entry Karin Knapp 6-1, 6-1; 12th-seeded Flavia Pennetta got past Yvonne Meusburger of Austria, 6-2, 6-3; and 16th-seeded American Sloane Stephens rallied past Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Also, 1999 champion Venus Williams cruised past Annika Beck of Germany 6-3, 6-1; and local favorite Francesca Schiavone of Italy eliminated 17th-seeded Eugenie Bouchard 6-4, 6-2.

The eight top-seeded players have first-round byes.

Second-ranked Novak Djokovic is back after withdrawing from last week's Madrid Open with a right wrist injury and Roger Federer was out on the practice courts after also taking last week off to welcome the birth of his second set of twins.

Top-ranked and defending champion Serena Williams, however, wouldn't commit to playing as she waits to see how her injured left thigh feels.

"I'm taking it a day at a time. We'll see as the week goes on. I have the rest of the day off and I'll see how I feel tomorrow," Serena said. "I hit some balls today a little bit so I'm going to see later tonight how it feels."

Serena withdrew before her quarter-final match in Madrid, where she had her thigh heavily bandaged and said the injury occurred during a first-round victory over Belinda Bencic.

One of the only top players not in Rome was Kei Nishikori of Japan, who retired midway through Sunday's Madrid final against Rafael Nadal citing a lower back and hip injury.

Rome is the last key clay-court warmup before the French Open starts in two weeks.