Barcelona, Spain, 22 April 2014 | tennis.com.au

Marinko Matosevic has scored an impressive straight sets win over Portugal’s Joao Sousa on Monday in the first round of the red clay ATP Barcelona Open.

On a surface not considered his favourite, Matosevic brushed aside the 40th-ranked Sousa 6-3 6-2, a player ranked 30 places above him.

The one hour and 14-minute win sets up a second round meeting with No.5 seed Tommy Robredo.

The pair have a fairly even head-to-head record, with Robredo winning their last meeting – a second round match at Indian Wells – in three gruelling sets.

In three career meetings, the Spaniard leads the series 2-1.

Matosevic will be hoping the good form he displayed against Sousa in the opening round – demonstrated by four aces to no double faults, and winning more than three quarters of points on his first serve – will help him even the ledger against Robredo.