Local hopes Leonardo Mayer and Juan Monaco started the Argentina Open with resounding first-round wins on Monday.

Mayer, the fifth seed, needed just 46 minutes to thrash Frenchman Stephane Robert 6-0 6-1 on the clay in Buenos Aires.

The Argentine world number 29 had lost his previous meeting with Robert, but another loss was never on the cards.

Mayer lost just 10 points in the first set, breaking three times, before cruising through the second.

His win meant an all-Argentine second-round clash was a certainty.

Monaco will be his opponent after the world number 60 claimed a relatively comfortable 6-2 6-2 victory over countryman Maximo Gonzalez.

The Rio Open quarter-finalist broke serve three times in each set on his way to victory in one hour, nine minutes.

The only other main-draw match on Monday saw Italian Paolo Lorenzi edge Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-1.