MILAN, Italy -- Former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek won his first indoor match in more than two years, downing promising Russian player Nikolay Davydenko 7-5, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Milan Indoors.

The big-serving Dutchman is playing as a wild card and is competing in his first ATP indoor tournament since November 2000. Kajicek had 13 aces and made a decisive break in the first set to go up 6-5.

"Everything is easy for me indoors,'' Krajicek said. "No wind, no sun.''

Davydenko won his first ATP title at Adelaide, Australia, this month. Against Krajicek he faded in the second set, broken in the third and seventh games.

The 31-year-old Krajicek is studying law in a Dutch university. He rejoined the ATP circuit last year, playing six outdoor tournaments, following a 20-month absence after elbow surgery.

Krajicek next meets Radek Stepanek, who upset top-seeded Jiri Novak on Monday.

Fourth-seed Xavier Malisse of Belgium downed Andre Sa of Brazil 6-4, 6-4. Fifth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia defeated qualifier Marcelo Charpentier of Argentina 6-2, 7-5, setting up a second-round match against Kristian Pless of Denmark.

In other first-round matches, France's Anthony Dupuis defeated Belarus' Vladimir Voltchkov 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic downed Belgium's Olivier Rochus 7-5, 6-3; France's Julien Varlet, a qualifier, dropped Spain's Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4; and the Netherlands' Martin Verkerk beat Romania's Adrian Voinea, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-4.