Victor Estrella Burgos and his quest for a fourth consecutive Ecuador Open crown remains on track after rallying to beat Thomaz Bellucci in the opening round.

Three-time defending champion and Dominican sixth seed Burgos – who was swept aside by Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open last month – survived in Quito, prevailing 4-6 6-4 6-2.

Burgos dropped the first set against Bellucci but battled back to claim his fourth successive victory over the Brazilian at the ATP 250 event in the Ecuadorean capital.

The one-hour, 55-minute clash denied Bellucci his 200th tour-level win as Burgos looks ahead to either Gerald Melzer or Marco Cecchinato in the second round.

Elsewhere, French teenager Corentin Moutet claimed his first ATP World Tour match victory by outlasting Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-2.

Casper Ruud also progressed to the second round with a 7-5 6-0 win against Carlos Berlocq.

Qualifier Andrej Martin defeated Rogerio Dutra Silva 7-5 6-4, while Pablo Andujar went down 6-4 5-7 7-5 to Stefano Travaglia.