LONDON Britains James Ward gave Marat Safin a shock in the first round at the Queens Club.
Ward took the opening set, but Russias former US and Australian Open winner recovered to claim a 4-6 6-1 6-4 win.
Lleyton Hewitt began his quest for a record fifth Artois Championships title with a 6-4 6-4 win over Britains Josh Goodall.
Another Aussie, Joseph Sirianni, ended the hopes of Alex Bogdanovic with a routine 6-3 6-3 victory.
Croatias Mario Ancic showed his grass-court pedigree as he cruised past Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador 7-5 6-3.
Spanish ninth seed Fernando Verdasco went through when South Koreas Hyung-Taik Lee retired injured when 3-5 down in the first set.
British number one Andy Murray and Venezuelan Daniel Vallverdu beat Richard Gasquet and Nicolas Mahut 6-4 7-5 (10-4) in their doubles match on Monday.
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