Stan Wawrinka opened his account in style at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters by beating Frenchman Lucas Pouille in straight sets on Court Rainier III on Sunday.

The 2014 champion will be joined in the round of 32 by Grigor Dimitrov, who saw off Matteo Berrettini in straight sets. Earlier, Borna Coric forced his way into the last 32, despite being taken to a third set by Hubert Hurkacz.

There was also a win for Guido Pella, who, like Coric, had to win a decider before getting past Laslo Djere during an opening day with only four first-round matches and seven qualifiers.

Sunday Scores

• Stan Wawrinka bt. Lucas Pouille: 7-5, 6-3
• Grigor Dimitrov bt. Matteo Berrettini: 7-5, 6-4
• (9) Borna Coric bt. Hubert Hurkacz: 6-4, 5-7, 7-5
• Guido Pella bt. Laslo Djere: 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-4
• (Q) Andrey Rublev bt. (2) Ugo Humbert: 6-4, 6-4
• (Q) (7) Federico Delbonis bt. (11) Albert Ramos-Vinolas: 7-5, 6-0
• (Q) Alexei Popyrin bt. Elias Ymer: 6-3, 7-6 (2)
• (Q) Guido Andreozzi bt. Julian Ocleppo: 6-3, 6-1
• (Q) (4) Juan Ignacio Londero bt. Thomas Fabbiano: 6-4, 6-1
• (Q) (5) Aljaz Bedene bt. (8) Taro Daniel: 7-6 (5), 6-3
• (Q) Lorenzo Sonego vs. Marco Trungelliti: Trungelliti retired

Monday's Schedule available, per the ATP World Tour official website.

Wawrinka didn't have things all his own way early on, as Pouille put him under considerable pressure. It took a spirited revival from the Swiss star to salvage the first set:

Rescuing the opener naturally seemed to calm Wawrinka. The 34-year-old began manufacturing some special shots and kept Pouille overwhelmed by his attack.

If there was one shot Pouille couldn't deal with, it was the Wawrinka backhand:

Wawrinka will next face the winner of Damir Dzumhur's match with Marco Cecchinato on Monday.

Like Wawrinka, Dimitrov kept fans entertained with his ability to improvise on the clay:

Understandably, Berrettini couldn't keep up with a mercurial talent in the mood. The win puts Dimitrov on course to meet Rafael Nadal in the third round.

Earlier, Coric had to ensure his defenses were set against big-serving Hurkacz. The latter boomed six aces, but he also saw his opponent convert four break points.

Despite looking like he was coasting after the first set, Coric dropped the second. However, the 22-year-old held his nerve in the decider, something that's becoming a familiar pattern in his career:

There was time for Pella to engage in a marathon tussle with Djere. The first set produced a tiebreak Pella lost, but the Argentinian never looked back once the second got underway.

Pella saved three of four break points to frustrate Djere. Not being able to crack the Pella serve proved decisive as Djere slipped to a 6-2 defeat and looked as though his confidence deserted him at key moments during the third.

Pella's dubious reward is a last-32 match against Marin Cilic.

The notable results of the second set of qualifiers saw Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Thomas Fabbiano sent packing. Andrey Rublev made it through, and the Russian will meet Fabio Fognini on Monday.