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Haas and Lopez seem to be over injury worries

STOCKHOLM - Tommy Haas and Feliciano Lopez put aside last week's injury dramas in Asia as the pair of seeds returned to apparent robust health by making it into the second round of the Stockholm Open yesterday.

STOCKHOLM - Tommy Haas and Feliciano Lopez put aside last week's injury dramas in Asia as the pair of seeds returned to apparent robust health by making it into the second round of the Stockholm Open yesterday.

Number two Haas and the eighth-ranked Lopez both secured straight-set success at the Kungligahallen with neither man requiring more than an hour on court.

Haas, who withdrew after one losing set against Rainer Schuettler last week in the Shanghai second round, showed perfect fitness as he smashed 17 aces in 55 minutes in his 6-36-4 defeat of Frenchman Florent Serra.

Lopez, seeded eighth, moved smoothly through four days after pulling up lame in the Shanghai semis to hand Rafael Nadal a 6-13-0 result, and was light on his feet in a defeat of Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-26-4.

Germany's Haas now stands 2-0 over Serra, the world number 68, with the Florida-based seed a two-time Stockholm semifinalist from 2004 and 2007. Haas will next face Jarkko Nieminen, back in action after a wrist injury that kept the Finn away for nearly four months, followed by a recent virus.

Former Australian open finalist Marcos Baghdatis knocked out third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-46-2 to next face American Robert Kendrick. Brazilian Tomaz Bellucci won a battle of young South Americans to reach the quarterfinals, seeing off Argentine Leonardo Mayer 7-53-66-3. - Sapa-AFP

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