Novak Djokovic, Potito Starace, Nicolas Mahut, Alessio Di Mauro, Jan Hernych, Benjamin Balleret, Evgeny Korolev and Teimuraz Gabashvili secured their places as qualifiers in the main draw of Masters Series Monte-Carlo 2006 presented by ROLEX on Sunday.

Top-seeded Djokovic became the first player to qualify, beating Italian Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-4 in 81 minutes on Court Central.

Seeded players did have it all their own way however.

Second-seeded Daniele Bracciali succumbed to No. 9 seed Jan Hernych 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in two hours and 16 minutes joining No. 3 seed Jonas Bjorkman on the sidelines.

Bjorkman failed to qualify for the main draw for only the first time since 1995. The Swede did not compete in last year’s edition.

Bjorkman was beaten 7-6(5), 6-3 in one hour and 19 minutes by Monaco wild card Benjamin Balleret, aged 23, in the second qualifying round.

He will now take his place with partner Max Mirnyi, as top seeds in the main doubles draw, looking to improve on their current ranking of No. 3 in the Stanford ATP Doubles Race.

No. 6 seed Potito Starace didn’t have any problems in beating Nicolas Lapentti’s first round conqueror, Flavio Cipolla of Italy.

Seventh-seeded Nicolas Mahut who won two matches on Sunday, to qualify for the main draw, buoyed French support.

Mahut first beat Croatian wild card Marin Cilic 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in the morning, then defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-5, 6-4 to complete three hours and 27 minutes of tennis in searing heat at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

Meanwhile, Russian Evgeny Korolev knocked out No. 10 seed Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain 7-5, 6-2. Meanwhile, Korolev's compatriot Teimuraz Gabashvili will hope to improve upon his 2-6 record at ATP-level as a qualifier in the first round of the main draw.

Gabashvili, currently ranked No. 131 in the INDESIT ATP Rankings, knocked out No. 16 seed Melle van Gemerden of the Netherlands 7-6(3), 6-3.

In the last match of the qualification competition Italian Alessio Di Mauro was leading compatriot Federico Luzzi 6-1, 4-1 when Luzzi retired with an injury.