LONDON (AP)—Bulgarian tennis player Dimitar Kutrovsky has been banned for two years after testing positive for a banned stimulant.

The International Tennis Federations says the 24-year-old Kutrovsky tested positive for methylhexaneamine in February at the SAP Open in San Jose, Calif.

The ITF says “Mr. Kutrovsky asserted that the methylhexaneamine, for which he did not hold a valid therapeutic use exemption, had got into his system through his ingestion of the supplement Jack3d. He denied any intent to enhance his performance as a result of taking the Jack3d.”

The ban dates back to Feb. 14 and he must forfeit any prizes and points won at tournaments.

ROME (AP)—Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova overcame eight double-faults to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 7-5, 6-4 in her opening match at the Italian Open on Tuesday.

Kvitova struggled with the bright sunshine at the Foro Italico but still managed to dictate with her attacking game.

In men’s play on the red clay courts, 16th-seeded Richard Gasquet eliminated Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-1, 7-6 (6), and Spanish qualifier Guillermo Garcia-Lopez dispatched Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-1.

In the night session, top-ranked Novak Djokovic will face rising Australian teenager Bernard Tomic and Serena Williams will play Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan. Fourth-ranked Andy Murray, defending champion Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams are scheduled to play later.

In the past 10 months, Christina McHale has beaten Caroline Wozniacki, Marion Bartoli, and Petra Kvitova, all members of the WTA Top 10. The 20-year-old American was unable to add Maria Sharapova, another player whose ranking is but one digit long, to that list, losing 7-5, 7-5, but if McHale kept a “good losses” list, today’s effort against the world No. 2 would make the cut.
 
McHale started off well, taking a 4-1 lead after some Sharapova misses and missed break points. Breaking Sharapova in the third game, McHale generally kept pace with her hard-hitting opponent, as long as both women were at the baseline. But despite the scoreline, McHale was walking a tightrope. As you might expect, points were mostly won or lost on Sharapova’s racquet, and if any McHale shot landed short, the odds tilted greatly in the Russian’s favor.
 
When Sharapova got the break back for 3-4, it looked as if McHale’s chance had been lost, but she immediately returned the favor and earned a chance to serve for the set. The prosperity was too much for her to handle, as Sharapova quickly earned triple break point with big cuts that elicited errors. It was Sharapova’s second break in a row, and it would turn out to be the second of four consecutive breaks. Quickly, Sharapova led by a set and a break of serve.
 
Neither player was reliable for great stretches in this match, despite both playing their best tennis in the second set. When McHale broke back for 1-1 to prevent the match from spiraling out of control, the players settled into a series of consistent service games. That would have done wonders for McHale in the first set, but with Sharapova in her own groove, it was just enough to keep pace.
 
When the scoreboard read 5-5, Sharapova made her move, just as she did in the first set. McHale tightened up just a bit—she was still walking that tightrope, if more comfortably, in the second set—and it was enough to make her lose balance. Sharapova crushed a short forehand on break point, set up by a big backhand return into the body, for a 6-5 lead, an advantage she wouldn’t relinquish.
 
The final score suggests a close match, and it was, even if Sharapova still owned a sizable mental and physical edge. McHale’s spin-heavy, uppercut forehand works well on all courts, and especially on clay. Her backhand is steady, but she’d surely like to get more from her serve so as to claim some easier points. For Sharapova, it may not be a win we’ll remember once this tournament passes, but if she kept a “unsung wins” list, this effort would make the cut.
 
—Ed McGrogan

Monday’s Play (First round)
 

Makarova d. Schiavone, 6-3, 6-4
 

(12) Kerber d. Rodionova, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
 

(13) Ivanovic d. Kuznetsova, 6-4, 6-3
 

Peer d. Peng, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 3-1 (retired)
 

Scheepers d. Gajdosova, 6-4, 7-6 (3)
 

Benesova d. Wickmayer, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (5)
 

Medina Garrigues d. Zheng, 6-2, 6-1
 

Goerges d. Wozniak, 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-3
 

King d. Pironkova, 6-0, 6-1
 

Arvidsson d. Martinez Sanchez, 6-3, 6-2
 

Pavlyuchenkova d. Pervak, 6-2, 6-4
 

McHale d. Niculescu, 6-4, 6-4
 

Tuesday’s Order of Play (First round, *Second round)
 

*(2) Sharapova v. McHale [Centrale]

—6 am EST.
 

—Tough to see Sharapova, who won on red clay indoors in Stuttgart, falling to the young American, even if McHale has improved significantly since their last meeting (see below). Then No. 381, McHale is now No. 36, and has already beaten Petra Kvitova this year. McHale’s spin should transfer well on clay, but Sharapova is playing too well for that to matter.
 
The Pick: Sharapova
 

(9) S. Williams v. Voskoboeva [Centrale]
 
—Not before 3 pm EST.
 

V. Williams v. Halep [Supertennis Arena]
 
—To follow two matches, which begin at 5 am EST.
 

—Venus hasn’t strung together a week’s worth of good matches this season, but she’s had some noteworthy individual performances—one being a third-set tiebreaker triumph over Halep last week in Madrid. Because of broadcasting restrictions, no one saw that match, and this one might not be shown either. But last week’s victory should give Venus a mental edge when she faces Halep again, no matter the American’s physical condition.
 
—The Pick: Williams
 

Bacsinszky v. Errani [Supertennis Arena]
 

*(4) Kvitova v. Pavyluchenkova [Pietrangeli]
 
—Not before 5 am EST.
 

(16) Kirilenko v. Pennetta [Pietrangeli]
 

—Banished to the third court while Potito Starace plays on Centrale, Pennetta, a Fed Cup hero for Italy, has a right to feel slighted. She’ll take it out on Kirilenko, who, based on her current form, could still win this despite Pennetta’s overwhelming crowd support. But I think the paesans go home happy.
 
—The Pick: Pennetta
 

(15) Jankovic v. Cirstea [Court 2]
 
—5 am EST.
 

(11) Lisicki v. Erakovic [Court 2]
 

Vinci v. Knapp [Court 2]
 

Brianti v. Soler-Espinosa [Court 3]
 
—5 am EST.
 

(14) Cibulkova v. Lucic [Court 3]
 
—To follow doubles match, which follows Brianti v. Soler-Espinosa.
 

TV Schedule
 
5:00 am – 3:30 pm: Rome (M), Early rounds (Tennis Channel, Live)
4:30 pm – 2:30 am: Rome (M), Early rounds (Tennis Channel, Repeat)

Monday’s Play (First round)
 

(9) Isner d. Kohlschreiber, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2
 
—Isner broke Kohlschreiber with the German serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set.

(12) Almagro d. Cilic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0
 

(13) Monfils d. Bogomolov Jr., 6-4, 6-1
 

Tomic d. Giraldo, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
 

Stepanek d. Chela, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3
 

Berlocq d. Kavcic, 6-1, 6-3
 

Wawrinka d. Haase, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
 

Verdasco d. Bogomolov, 6-0 (retired)
 

Nalbandian d. Ramos, 6-3, 6-4
 

Fognini d. Baghdatis, 6-2, 6-2
 

Tuesday’s Order of Play (First round, *Second round)
 

Kubot v. Starace [Centrale]

—To follow (2) Sharapova v. McHale, which starts at 6 am EST.
 

*(4) Murray v. Nalbandian [Centrale]
 

—Murray returns to the site of one of his top performances in 2011—a three-set loss to a then-unbeaten Djokovic, in which the Scot served for the match. Murray didn’t play last week in Madrid, pulling out with a back injury. That could render any prediction irrelevant. But the fact that Murray is playing at all suggests he’s ready. He’ll want to get some matches in before Roland Garros, even if Nalbandian isn’t an ideal opening-round opponent.
 
The Pick: Murray
 

*(1) Djokovic v. Tomic [Centrale]
 
—Not before 1:30 pm EST.
 

—Tomic has struggled in the past few months; since the Australian Open, he’s just 8-8. He’s also in danger of losing a seed for the French Open; currently, he’s No. 32. Tomorrow’s opponent won’t help matters. After two difficult tournaments in Monte Carlo and Madrid (for wildly different reason), expect to see a focused and somewhat desperate Djokovic in Rome.
 
The Pick: Djokovic
 

*(6) Ferrer v. Verdasco [Supertennis Arena]
 
—5 am EST.
 

—Both of these two were soundly defeated after taxing wins in Madrid; Verdasco shocked Nadal and Ferrer ousted Almagro despite facing match points. Another similarity: They’ve each beaten one another seven times. Verdasco is on a mini-surge, but only the best beat Ferrer, who’s won both of their matches in 2012.
 
The Pick: Ferrer
 

(10) Del Potro v. Llodra [Supertennis Arena]
 

*(5) Tsonga v. Troicki [Supertennis Arena]
 
—Not before 1 pm EST.
 

*(13) Monfils v. Ferrero [Pietrangeli]
 
—To follow two matches, which begin at 5 am EST.
 

(11) Simon v. Young [Pietrangeli]
 

(16) Gasquet v. Melzer [Court 1]
 
—5 am EST.
 

(15) Lopez v. Granollers [Court 1]
 

(14) Monaco v. Ungur [Court 1]
 

Garcia-Lopez v. Andjar [Court 4]
 
—5 am EST.
 

Querrey v. Nieminen [Court 4]
 
—Not before 6:30 am EST.
 

TV Schedule
 
5:00 am – 3:30 pm: Rome (M), Early rounds (Tennis Channel, Live)
4:30 pm – 2:30 am: Rome (M), Early rounds (Tennis Channel, Repeat)

Rafael Nadal, now the world No. 3, says he does not care that his ranking has slipped after losing in the third round of Madrid to Fernando Verdasco. Nadal congratulated Roger Federer, who passed him for No. 2, on winning the title and again praised him as “probably the best player ever.”

“Coming to Roland Garros with the No. 2 or No. 3 is not going to change my goal which is winning,” six-time French Open champion Nadal told reporters in Rome.

Serena Williams jokes that Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and others who complained about the slippery blue clay in Madrid are “weenies.”

“Women are way tougher than men. That’s why we have the babies, you guys could never handle kids,” Williams said after beating Victoria Azarenka to win the title.

ROME (AP)—In a matchup of former French Open champions, 13th-seeded Ana Ivanovic beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3 on Monday in a windy first-round match at the Italian Open.
 
”It was tough out there today but it was the same for both of us,” said Ivanovic, who won her only major title at Roland Garros in 2008. ”I just tried to move and to adjust and really tried to look at the ball and move forward. It was difficult at times and the gusts of wind would come out of nowhere, but it was a good match.”
 
Ivanovic is approaching the top 10 again after a difficult stretch in her career that included four first-round losses at Grand Slams. She attributes part of her turnaround to her coach, Nigel Sears, after they started working together following Wimbledon last year.
 
”He is very calm and I am a perfectionist and sometimes I try to do too much at the same time, and so he is very reasonable when he comes onto the court … so this helps me to calm down a lot,” Ivanovic said.
 
In a night match at the Foro Italico, Francesca Schiavone was defeated in front of her home fans by 39th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-4.
 
Makarova dictated play with a series of angled baseline winners, while Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion, had trouble finding the range for her highly technical game.
 
This tournament is the last major clay-court warm-up for the French, which starts in two weeks.
 
Also, 12th-seeded Angelique Kerber rallied past Australian qualifier Anastasia Rodionova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, and Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden cruised past 2010 champion Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 6-2.
 
In men’s action, ninth-seeded John Isner overcame a slow start to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2. The 6-foot-9 American looked headed for an early exit before Kohlschreiber lost control when he was serving for the match at 5-4 in the second. Isner then broke again in the opening game of the third and cruised from there.
 
Sixteenth-ranked Fernando Verdasco eased into the second round when Alexandr Dolgopolov retired with a stomach ache.
 
Coming off a win over Rafael Nadal in Madrid last week, Verdasco won the first set 6-0. Dolgopolov then called for the trainer and clutched his stomach as he went over to shake Verdasco’s hand and concede.
 
Twelfth-seeded Nicolas Almagro defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 13th-seeded Gael Monfils beat Alex Bogomolov Jr. of Russia 6-4, 6-1, and Australian teenager Bernard Tomic rallied past Colombian qualifier Santiago Giraldo 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to set up a meeting with top-ranked Novak Djokovic on Tuesday night.
 
Others advancing included David Nalbandian of Argentina, Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland and Italian wild card Fabio Fognini.