Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Sports Network) - Fresh off his title in
France last week, French star Richard Gasquet was an opening-round winner
Wednesday at the $1.7 million ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
The fourth-seeded world No. 10 Gasquet withstood 11 aces in defeating Serbian
Viktor Troicki 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 on the indoor hardcourts at Ahoy Rotterdam.
The in-form Gasquet ran the table in Montpellier last week for his second
title of 2013 -- with the other coming in Doha last month -- and improved his
ATP-best match record to 15-1 this season.
Gasquet's second-round opponent will be dangerous Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.
In some second-round action on Day 3, fifth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon
subdued Italian qualifier Matteo Viola 6-3, 6-1 and France's Julien Benneteau
dispatched Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-1, 6-3.
In other first-round play, German qualifier Matthias Bachinger upended sixth-
seeded Italian Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-4 and the former Australian Open runner-up
Baghdatis got past Benoit Paire, 6-0, 6-7 (3-7), 4-0, as the Frenchman retired
while trailing in the third set.
The Sports Network