Lyon, France (My Sportsbook) - Top-seeded French favorite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was a hard-fought first-round winner Tuesday at the Lyon Tennis Grand Prix.

The former Aussie Open runner-up Tsonga got past pesky American Kevin Kim 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) on the indoor carpet at Palais des Sports Lyon Gerland.

Meanwhile, third-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic, the 2001 winner of this event, leveled Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-3, 6-4, seventh-seeded German Benjamin Becker blitzed Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-2, 6-2 and eighth-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes handled outgoing Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 6-4, 6-4. The 36-year-old Santoro played his final match in Lyon, as he will retire from the ATP World Tour at season's end. The crafty veteran captured his first ATP title here in Lyon back in 1997.

Another former Lyon champion advanced on Day 2, as 2000 winner Arnaud Clement drilled Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 6-1, 6-3. The French Clement entered the draw as a wild card this week.

Other first-round winners were Frenchmen Marc Gicquel, wild card Michael Llodra and qualifier David Guez, and South African qualifier Kevin Anderson.