Two-time defending champion Nikolay Davydenko and former world number one Marat Safin both got through to the second round at the Kremlin Cup on Tuesday.

Davydenko beat Florent Serra of France 6-1, 7-5, and seventh-seeded Safin struggled past Israeli qualifier Noam Okun 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 to begin his 12th attempt to win the hometown event.

Davydenko, who won the title in 2004 and 2006, improved his record in Moscow to 16-2.

Uzbek qualifier Denis Istomin upset sixth-seeded Michael Llodra 7-6(2), 6-3 in only his second ATP match.

The 121st-ranked Istomin broke decisively in the sixth game of the second set and will face French veteran Fabrice Santoro in the second round.

Eighth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia rallied to beat Russian qualifier Alexandre Kudryavtsev 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), and Robby Ginepri of the United States beat Jiri Vanek of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-4.

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2008)