Carlos Alcaraz began his title defense at Queen's Club with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday, following the surprise defeat of second seed Alex de Minaur.
Alcaraz dominated the first set, making only one unforced error. However, he faced difficulties in the second set, trailing 2-5. Despite not playing at his best level in his first grass-court match of the season, the Spanish top seed managed to overcome the challenge.
The world number two showcased his resilience by saving three set points on serve at 4-5 before clinching the match.
The world number two, who followed up last year's victory at Queen's by winning his first Wimbledon, will next face Stuttgart champion Jack Draper or Argentine Mariano Navone.
The tournament also saw victories for Americans Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Sebastian Korda, while Italian Matteo Arnaldi defeated eighth seed Ugo Humbert.
In an earlier match, Lorenzo Musetti upset seventh-ranked Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. De Minaur had recently won the grass-court event in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
