QUEEN'S CLUB, London -- Andy Murray finally kicked off his hunt for a record-breaking fifth Queen's title with victory over Nicolas Mahut on another day of heavy rain in the British capital.
The No. 1 seed and reigning champion took 110 minutes to dismiss the Frenchman's stiff challenge, claiming a 7-6(8), 7-6(1) win under the steely gaze of returning coach Ivan Lendl.
After downpours forced the start of play back by 90 minutes, fans and organisers inside the west London club were more than a little worried Tuesday would prove just as much of a washout as Monday, when bad weather allowed for just one match to be completed.
Things were looking ominous after Fernando Verdasco's upset of Stan Wawrinka was halted for several hours due to bad weather, but a break in the clouds after 5pm saw Murray step into action for the first time since the shock return of Lendl.
The pair have not worked together since their surprise split in the spring of 2014, but British tennis fans will be hoping the renewed partnership brings the same level of success they enjoyed during their first spell together, when Murray won the US Open, Wimbledon, and Olympic gold.
Murray did not have it all his own way in an evenly-matched opening set on Centre Court. Mahut claimed the first break of serve before the British No. 1 returned fire immediately, appearing to cope better with the slick grass surface as his opponent slipped for a heavy fall on the baseline.
With the sun making a rare appearance, the first set went to a tiebreaker, during which Murray faltered before roaring back to claim the set in 45 minutes. Lendl left his seat in the front row as his student cut a more relaxed figure than he has in recent months.
Keen to wrap up the win, Murray was back off his seat for the second set with a spring in his step but he was soon back to his grumbling as Mahut put up a stern challenge under the fading light.
The Frenchman broke first and looked as though he would claim the set before giving up two break points to Murray at 5-3. The world No. 2 needed just one as forced his opponent wide to ditch a volley from the right tramline.
There were nervy times at 5-6 as Murray donated three set points to Mahut, but the home favourite stopped the rot to force a second tiebreaker.
Winding up several huge serves, Murray was eventually able to blast Mahut out of the match, with the the world No. 49 suffering another nasty slip behind the baseline for his troubles.
While Murray came through his opening test relatively unscathed, there was no such luck for No. 2 seed Wawrinka, who was dumped out 6-2, 7-6(3) by Verdasco in a heavily-delayed opening match of the afternoon.
Former England captain David Beckham was among those frequently running for cover as the heavens opened, but while the spectators shrugged off the raindrops with a smile and a glass of Pimm's, Wawrinka appeared frustrated by the repeated interruptions.
Playing in front of new grass-court coach and 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, Wawrinka had the first set whipped from under him by the underdog Verdasco, who appeared more comfortable on the greasy surface.
Wawrinka appeared to come out for the second set with a renewed sense of determination, but a rain delay of almost three hours then knocked the wind from his sails and Verdasco was able to seal victory on a tiebreaker.
Monday's washout meant 15 matches had to be scheduled on Tuesday, with big seeds pushed onto the outside courts, and there will be further juggling of schedules on Wednesday after Britain's Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans saw their respective matches against Gilles Simon and Paul-Henri Mathieu postponed.
However, in Tuesday's limited action, 2012 champion Marin Cilic fought back after losing the first set to defeat Spain's Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, while No. 6 seed Roberto Bautista Agut saw off Sam Querrey in a marathon 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(1) encounter.