Verdasco racks up 500th career victory in Madrid Open 1st round

Madrid, May 9: Spanish tennis player Fernando Verdasco earned the 500th victory of his professional career on Tuesday, beating Italy's Paolo Lorenzi 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the Madrid Open.

Verdasco, in his 16th consecutive appearance in this tournament, took one hour and 24 minutes to defeat Lorenzi, reported Efe.

The Spaniard is set to play in the second round against Argentina's Leonardo Mayer, who defeated Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-4.