Raonic, Berdych advance in Rotterdam
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rotterdam, The Netherlands (SportsNetwork.com) - 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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.