STOCKHOLM, October 21, 2009 (AFP) - Robin Soderling got back to work towards a late place in next month's season-ending ATP finals with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Giovanni Lapentti to reach the second round of the Stockholm Open Wednesday.

The top seed, who is playing for the first time in his career as a member of the ATP Top ten, can lift his chances of reaching one of the last two spots in the eight-man World Tour Finals with a title at the weekend.

He stands provisional ninth, trailing Russian Nikolay Davydenko and Spain's Fernando Verdasco in the race to the eight-man wrapup starting November 22.

On Monday, Soderling became the first Swede since Jonas Svensson in 1991 to figure in the ranking elite; the 17th from his country in a run began by Bjorn Borg in 1973.

Soderling is also bidding to become the first from his nation since Mats Wilander in 1983 to complete the Swedish double - winning titles at both Bastad and Stockolm the same season.

"It would be a great thing," that's for sure," said number 10 Soderling, the Roland Garros finalist. "I love playing at home.

"I don't really feel any extra pressure, I just know the fans are willing me on," said the Monte Carlo-based player, who only visits his native land for tennis duties.

Soderling improved to 43-18 on the season as he moved into a second-round match with Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who beat German Simon Greul 6-3, 7-5.

Second seed Tommy Haas and number eight Feliciano Lopez put aside last week's injury dramas in Asia as the pair of seeds returned to apparent robust health with wins.

Both joined Soderling in 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 crushed 17 aces in 55 minutes in his 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Frenchman Florent Serra.

Lopez moved through nicely four days after pulling up lame in the Shanghai semis to hand Rafael Nadal a 6-1, 3-0 result, and was light on his feet in a defeat of Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-2, 6-4.

Germany's Haas now stands 2-0 over Serra, the world number 68, with the Florida-based seed a two-time Stockholm semi-finalist from 2004 and 2007.

Haas said that his earlier shoulder problem now appears to be under control after his precautionary withdrawal in Shanghai.

"It's okay, it's holding up. There were a lot of nice quick points today which suited me well. I served extremely well and I'm happy with how I played, but there's still room for improvement of course."

Halle champion Haas won his 31st match of 2009 against 16 defeats.

Haas will next face Jarkko Nieminen, back in action after a wrist injury which kept the Finn away for nearly four months followed by a recent virus form which he only recovered in time to play a Danish Challenger last week.

Former Australian open finalist Marcos Baghdatis knocked out third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-4, 6-2 to next face American Robert Kendrick.

Ferrero, who stands 1-2 in the series, was ranked as low as 115th just five months ago, improving to his current 21st.

Baghdatis is coming off his third Challenger title of the season in Tashkent after winning one match in Kuala Lumpur and going out in the Beijing first round to Rafael Nadal.

Brazilian Tomaz Bellucci won a battle of young South Americans to reach the first of the quarter-final places after defeating Argentine Leonardo Mayer 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.