Djokovic begins Italian Open defense solidly

ROME (AP) — Top-ranked Novak Djokovic made a solid return to red-clay courts, dominating Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-3 to open the defense of his Italian Open title Tuesday night.

Coming off a quarterfinal loss to fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic on the blue clay at last week's Madrid Open, Djokovic went ahead with two early breaks and faced minimal resistance from the 19-year-old Tomic, the youngest player in the top 50 at No. 32.

With the French Open less than two weeks away, Djokovic is looking to rediscover the form from his 43-match winning streak last year. Winning at Roland Garros is a top priority for him after taking the three other majors last year.

Andy Murray beat David Nalbandian 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 in a strong return after taking last week off.