Seventh-seeded Viktor Troicki struggled against Thiemo de Bakker in the first set Tuesday before overpowering him in the second for a 7-6 (6), 6-0 win in the first round of the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament.
Troicki, who helped Serbia beat Sweden in the Davis Cup over the weekend, squandered three break points in the first set before edging De Bakker in a close tiebreaker.
De Bakker said ''I should have won that tiebreak,'' and that ''I blew my chances in the first set.''
Nikolay Davydenko advanced by beating Robin Haase of the Netherlands 7-5, 6-2, and Mikhail Youzhny defeated Igor Kunitsyn 6-0, 6-7 (4), 6-0 in an all-Russian match.
In other first-round matches, 16th-seeded Jarkko Nieminen beat Dutchman Igor Sijsling 6-1, 6-7 (7), 7-5, Andreas Seppi overcame Rik De Voest 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 and Phillip Kohlschreiber beat Marcel Granollers 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
Top-seeded Roger Federer begins his campaign Wednesday.
