Igor Sijsling advances on Thailand Open upset

BANGKOK, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Igor Sijsling claimed an upset win Monday as the Thailand Open began with three first-round matches.

Sijsling eliminated seventh-seeded Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) with an eight-ace attack helping his cause. He was good only about half of his first serves but won 29-of-31 of the points when he did land those serves.

Sijsling next goes against Robin Haase, who was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Daniel Gimeno-Traver in his first-round match. Gimeno-Traver managed just one break-point chance and Haase saved it while finishing off three of his our break opportunities.

Sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez completed first-day play with a 6-3, 6-3 decision over Laslo Djere. Lopez dropped only nine points over nine games serving to advance.

Top 10 players Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet are the top seeds for the Thailand Open. Gasquet defeated Gilles Simon in last year's Thailand Open final.