Four-times former champion Lleyton Hewitt enjoyed a gentle workout in his first match of the grasscourt season on Monday, beating wildcard Josh Goodall 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round at Queen's Club.
Another former world number one Marat Safin, who has never made a secret of his dislike for grass, made harder work of the transition, beating qualifier James Ward 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
The west London ATP tournament is a traditional warm-up for Wimbledon and its slick green courts provide a sharp contrast to the slower pace of the European clay season which culminated on Sunday with the men's French Open final.
Hewitt, who reached the third round in Paris after several weeks sidelined with a hip injury, was not caught out on Monday as he had been last year when as champion he lost in the second round to qualifier Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Playing well within himself, the 11th seed waited for his moment in each set -- the third game of the first and seventh of the second -- to break the serve of the 274th-ranked Briton and coast home.
As well as in 2006, the combative Australian won the Queen's title in 2000, 2001 and 2002, the year he went on to win Wimbledon becoming the last man to do so before Roger Federer's domination began.
Hewitt, 27, said he is still not 100 percent fit and would probably not have returned to competition so soon had it not been for the French Open and the grass season.
"I'm still struggling a little bit with the hip injury," he told reporters. "I would have liked to have got the injury right before I came back but I don't like to miss the majors. I love this month of the year."
ERRATIC RUSSIAN
Safin, known for his often erratic form and mood swings on court, blamed the surface change for a wild and error-strewn first set against 21-year-old Ward, ranked 488 in the world.
"He has played in qualifying...he knows how to play on grass. So for him it was a little bit easier and in the first set I was nervous," said the Russian, whose ranking after a series of injuries now stands at 76.
Lofty Croatians Mario Ancic and Marin Cilic, both 1.95 metres tall, enjoyed their first foray on to the grass, Ancic beating Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti 7-5, 6-3 and Cilic overcoming Austrian Jurgen Meltzer 7-6, 7-6.
Australians Chris Guccione and qualifier Joseph Sirianni, American Robby Ginepri and Latvia's Ernests Gulbis booked places in the second round as did ninth seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco whose opponent Lee Hyung-Taik retired with an injured left knee.
Top seed Rafael Nadal, who won a fourth successive French Open crown on Sunday, Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, seeded two, and six other seeds have byes into the second round.
© 2024 Rediff.com -