SPORTS

Raonic wins three-setter against Kuznetsov to reach 2nd round in Rotterdam

The Associated Press Published Tuesday, February 10, 2015 1:06PM EST

Milos Raonic returns the ball to Russia's Kuznetsov during their first round match of the ABN AMRO world tennis tournament at Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015. (AP / Peter Dejong)

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ROTTERDAM, Netherlands -- Second-seeded Milos Raonic was made to work for a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 7-5 victory over qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov and a place in the second round of the World Tennis Tournament on Tuesday.

Coming off an Australian Open quarter-finals loss, Raonic hit 19 aces to rally past the 23-year-old Russian in a contest lasting nearly two hours. Raonic got off to a sluggish start but managed to claw his way back into the match with his big serve.

The sixth-ranked Canadian from Thornhill, Ont., who will take on Simone Bolelli in the next round, lost only six points on his first serve.

Earlier, eighth-seeded Gilles Simon defeated Joao Sousa 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 and Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil converted three of his four break points in a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Philip Kohlschreiber.