Stockholm - Simon Greul moved into the second round of the Stockholm Open Monday as he handed sixth seed Benjamin Becker a seventh consecutive first-round loss this season 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. The all-German clash was the first on court at the Kungligahallen at an event where Swede Robin Soderling is top seed and trying to book one of three spots remaining in November's ATP year-end finals in London.
Becker, ranked 38th, has not won a match in more than two months since beating Martin Vassallo Arguello in the Cincinnati first round. He then lost to Lleyton Hewitt to start his current spin out of control.
The number 59 Greul, who won a match each in Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo this month, will face off in the second round against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, winner of another opening-day countryman clash.
He defeated fellow Spaniard Alberto Martin 6-3, 6-2 with five breaks of serve.
Fourth-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco struggled with Czech Jan Hernych before pulling off a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 victory.
German second seed Tommy Haas should be fit for his opening challenge against Frenchman Florent Serra after advising that his shoulder injury from last week in Shanghai was nothing serious.
The subject of multiple shoulder surgeries quit after one set in the second round against senior compatriot Rainer Schuettler.
Soderling stands provisional ninth in the chase to the year-end final, trailing Spain's Fernando Verdasco in the points tally. A title this week while Verdaso trains in Las Vegas, would help Soderling towards number eight but could not see him past his Spanish rival.
