Novak Djokovic beats Stephane Robert 7-5 7-5 at Rome Masters

Novak Djokovic recovered from a break down to scramble past qualifier Stephane Robert at the Rome Masters.

The world No 1 was far from his best against his unheralded opponent but still did enough to win 7-5 7-5 in the second round of the competition.

Murray wins without Mauresmo

Andy Murray defeated Mikhail Kukushkin in his first match since splitting with Amelie Mauresmo

Having battled to taking the first set, the defending champion appeared on the verge of shockingly dropping a set as the world No 103 converted a break point.

But the mighty Serb hauled himself back into contention and secured his own pair of breaks to progress into the third round.

Live ATP Masters Tennis

The tournament in the Italian capital is Djokovic's attempt to win back-to-back clay court titles before the French Open, having beaten Andy Murray in the Madrid Open final last weekend.

Elsewhere, Rafael Nadal defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 6-3 to advance into the third round. Nadal will play Nick Kyrgios, who beat Milos Raonic 7-6 6-3.