Haas back in action with Stockholm win

Veteran Tommy Haas returned to the courts for the first time since the US Open and beat Somdev Devvarman of India 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 to reach the second round of the Stockholm Open on Monday. The 33-year-old two-time semi-finalist at the Kungligahallen from 2004 and 2007 missed more than a year of play from February, 2010, until last May as he recovered from hip surgery. The comeback for the number 290 has been limited, with Haas winning only five matches this season prior to his Stockholm success. He was joined as an opening-day winner by compatriot Philipp Petzschner, who beat Lukasz Kubot of Poland 6-2, 7-5. "I haven't played since New York so I was thinking a bit out there and second-guessing myself," said Haas, whose injury history also includes a year out in 2004. "It was my first match in a long time. I'm very happy with how I played overall. This comeback is very important to me." Haas, who struck 37 winners in the contest which lasted for nearly 90 minutes, fired seven aces and committed 20 unforced errors, said he was pleased to be tested by Johannesburg finalist Devvarman, the number 84. "Winning in straight sets is a good sign but I was glad to be up a break in the second set, and after losing it breaking again and serving out the match." Haas won the openingset in a tiebreaker as he produced a service winner on the first of three set points. The veteran began the second set with a break of the Indian and took a 4-2 lead on his sixth ace. But Devvarman broke back in the eighth game for 4-all only to lose his serve again to Haas, 4-5. The wild card German served out the victory on the first of his three chances a game later. Haas will await the winner from a match between South African fifth seed Kevin Anderson and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain. Haas is playing in Stockholm for the sixth time, with his last appearance a 2009 loss in the second round to Jarkko Niemimen. Frenchman Gael Monfils, given the all-clear by doctors in Paris to play after a recent knee scan, arrived in the Swedish capital on Monday night, with the top seed given a bye into the second round before meeting either Estonian qualifier Jurgen Zopp or Australian wild card Bernard Tomic. Argentine Juan Martin del Potro is seeded second as the South American begins the autumn indoor season after skipping the just-concluded Asian swing dominated by Andy Murray. Del Potro, who has a full indoor schedule lined up before the December 2-4 Davis Cup final in Seville against Spain, made his only Stockholm appearance in 2007, retiring in the first round against current tournament director Thomas Johansson.