Soderling is top seed this week
Soderling received a first round bye and so has had to wait four day before playing a match in the Open 13 event.
After a disappointing Australian Open, returning to the indoor circuit has paid dividends and Soderling was in blistering form on the way to the Rotterdam title last week.
Stakhovsky who is ranked 69, has been a victim of unlucky draws so far this year, losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open first round and then getting Novak Djokovic at the same stage in Rotterdam.
He made the most of getting an unseeded player here in Simone Bolelli, toughing out a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win.
Soderling and Stakhovsky have played just the once before, Soderling winning 6-3, 6-2 five years ago in Milan.