Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his first match on clay while Russian Mikhail Youzhny crashed out in the first round of the Hamburg Masters on Monday.
Tsonga overcame a disastrous first set, in which he won just 12 of 40 points, to defeat compatriot Nicolas Mahut 0-6 7-6 (5-7) 6-2.
"I am not that experienced on red clay so I am very happy to have won this match," Tsonga said. "I never remember lost sets like the first one, I only remember that I have won the entire match in the end."
Youzhny departed after being dumped 6-3 6-2 by unseeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. The loss was his third straight first-round exit.
Playing on home soil, unseeded Nicolas Kiefer delighted fans with the day's second upset, knocking out 16th-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4 6-4.
Things went far better for 12th seed Juan Monaco, who advanced when Italian Filippo Volandri retired with a knee injury while trailing 6-1 4-0.
Andy Murray, the 15th seed, also had a relatively easy time during his 6-4 6-1 victory over Russian Dmitry Tursunov.
The Scot, who saved all three break points faced during the match, entered this event having won just three times on clay this season.
"I served very well," Murray said. "In the first set I was trying to find the balance, when to play aggressive, when to play defensive. In the second set it was much better. Overall it was a very good match."
A finalist in Hamburg in 2000 and 2002, unseeded Russian Marat Safin posted a 7-5 6-2 triumph over Marin Cilic.
Unseeded players Andreas Seppi, Albert Montanes, Simone Bolelli, Ivo Minar, Olivier Rochus and Juan Ignacio Chela also progressed to the second round.
First-round results from the Hamburg Masters
Fernando Verdasco (Spain) def. 10-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 6-3 6-2
12-Juan Monaco (Argentina) def. Filippo Volandri (Italy) 6-1 4-0 retired (knee)
14-Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga (France) def. Nicolas Mahut 0-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2
15-Andy Murray (Great Britain) def. Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) 6-4 6-1
Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) def. 16-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 6-4 6-4
Michael Llodra (France) def. Guillermo Canas (Argentina) 7-6 (9-7) 6-2
Ivo Minar (Czech Republic) def. Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-3 6-4
Simone Bolelli (Italy) def. Marcel Granollers (Spain) 7-5 6-2
Andreas Seppi (Italy) def. Michael Berrer (Germany) 6-3 6-0
Albert Montanes (Spain) def. Mardy Fish (USA) 6-1 6-3
Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) def. Jose Antonio Sanchezde Luna (Spain) 6-3 6-3
Marat Safin (Russia) def. Marin Cilic (Croatia) 7-5 6-2
Olivier Rochus (Belgium) def. Gianluca Naso (Italy) 7-6 (13-11) 2-6 6-4