Feb 10, 2015
Raonic reaches second round in Rotterdam
Second-seeded Milos Raonic was made to work for a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 7-5 victory over qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov and a place in the second round of the World Tennis Tournament on Tuesday. Coming off an Australian Open quarterfinals loss, Raonic hit 19 aces to rally past the 23-year-old Russian in a contest lasting nearly two hours.
The Canadian Press
Rotterdam, The Netherlands - No. 2 seed Milos Raonic and reigning champion Tomas Berdych were a pair of opening-round winners Tuesday at the $1.825 million ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
The Canadian slugger Raonic swatted 19 aces and overcame Russian qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 7-5, while the third-seeded Berdych resumed his winning ways here with a 6-1, 7-5 handling of German lucky loser Tobias Kamke at Ahoy Rotterdam.
Up next for Raonic will be Italian Simone Bolelli.
Berdych beat reigning U.S. Open titlist Marin Cilic in last year's Rotterdam finale.
Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon grounded Portuguese Joao Sousa 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 and unseeded Frenchman Gael Monfils dismissed qualifier compatriot Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-2 on Day 2. Monfils will face seventh-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut on Wednesday.
Also on Tuesday, Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky held off Spaniard Marcel Granollers 6-2, 7-6 (9-7), Canadian Vasek Pospisil doused German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2 and Jeremy Chardy was tied with fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau 3-3 in the first set when the 2013 Rotterdam runner-up Benneteau retired from their bout.
In some more first-round action on Wednesday, top-seeded Australian Open runner-up and 2009 Rotterdam titlist Andy Murray will take on French qualifier Nicolas Mahut and fourth-seeded former Aussie Open champ Stan Wawrinka will battle Dutch wild card Jesse Huta Galung.
The 2015 Rotterdam champ will earn $405,000.