They are on to Round Two in Rotterdam’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament and Nikolay Davydenko received a little help from Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.

The 36th ranked Baghdatis put away American James Blake 6-4. 6-2 and moves on to face Davydenko in round two. The second seed has a lifetime 0-7 record against Blake.

The tour’s hottest player will still have his hands full as Baghdatis holds a 2-1 lifetime edge over the Russian.

Top seeded Novak Djokovic moved onto round two with a straight set win over Sergiy Stakhovsky who retired in set two. The Serb will next face Swiss up and comer Marco Chiudinelli.

Gael Monfils and former champion Mikkhail Youzhny moved on with three set wins. Monfils lost the first set 4-6, before rallying to sweep Olivier Rochos 6-1, 6-2.

Youzhny had an even tougher time with Kazmania’s Andrey Golubev. After being manhandled in the first set, 1-6, Youzhnay came back to win the second set tiebreaker 7-6 and then a third set tiebreaker 7-6(5).

Monfils will play Netherlands wild card star Thiemo De Bakker, who thrilled the locals with a 7-6(5), 6-3 triumph over Czechoslavakia’s Jan Halek. Youzhny will be challenged by Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan.

Third seeded Robin Soderling escaped his first round match against unheralded Frenchman Fiorent Serra 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and then swept past another local favorite Igor Susling 7-6 (6), 6-2 to move to the third round.

Soderling awaits the winner of a match featuring two Frenchmen, Michael Berrer or Julien Benneteau.

Soderling is seeking some redemption here in Rotterdam. After enjoying a stellar 2009, the Swedish star is off to a slow start in 2010 when he climbed to number 8 in the world. After a stumble in Australia, Soderling needs some success to hold his rank.

In a second round upset, Germany’s Fioran Mayer upset favored Spaniard Tommy Robredo 7-6(4) 6-4. Robredo was an early round knockout in Melbourne as well. Mayer will most likely play Djokovic in round three.

Attendance has been strong for the championship, which concludes on Sunday. A Soderling-Davydenko pairing in the semifinals would boost attendance even further.

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