British No.1 Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter made winning starts to their HSBC Championships campaigns in front of the home crowd on the Andy Murray Arena.
In the opening match of the day, Raducanu sealed a comfortable 6-0, 6-3 victory over qualifier Anna Blinkova in an hour and four minutes.
The British star lost just six points in a dominant opening set and, despite her opponent’s improved level in the second set, broke three times to complete the victory.
It’s Raducanu’s first tour-level victory since Indian Wells in March, as the former quarter-finalist marches on to face Sorana Cirstea.
World No.18 Cirstea came through a tough battle with Maddison Inglis 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to book a meeting with Raducanu. Their second round clash will be a repeat of the Transylvania Open final earlier this year.
Boulter returned to court on Tuesday to complete her first-round clash against eighth seed and former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, sealing a comeback 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 victory.
The match was suspended yesterday with Fernandez leading 6-3, 3-3 but it was Boulter who made the faster start when the match resumed. The Brit raised her level and reeled off the final four points in the second set tie-break to level the scoreboard.
Boulter carried that intensity into the decider – breaking immediately to surge into a 4-2 lead. While Fernandez fought back to level at 4-4, Boulter refused to let the match slip and produced a stunning forehand passing shot to seal the decisive break in the 11th game before consolidating to clinch the win over the world No.23.
23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko rounded off the action on the Andy Murray Arena as they teamed up to beat Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in their first round doubles match.
It marked an emphatic return to professional tennis for Williams – who was competing in her first competitive match in almost four years – as the British, Canadian pair recorded a 7-6(2), 6-2 win over the third seeds.
Sixth seed Iva Jovic is safely into the second round as well, defeating Croatian qualifier Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 6-4.
In the next round, she’ll face newly-crowned Lexus Birmingham Open champion Alexandra Eala, who extended her win streak to six matches after beating China’s Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-2.
However, British No.4 Francesca Jones lost out in her first round match to Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-2, 6-3.
17-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic lost on her Queen’s Club debut to 2024 Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3.
Raducanu and Boulter later returned to the court for their first round doubles match, where they narrowly lost out to fourth seeds Zhang Shuai and Storm Hunter 6-4, 3-6, 10-5.