Andy Murray marked his return to action for the first time since March with victory in Bordeaux on his 37th birthday.
Murray had been sidelined since rupturing his ankle ligaments during a third-round defeat to Tomas Machac at the Miami Open earlier this spring but showed little rust against world No 219 Kyrian Jacquet at the ATP Challenger event in France.
The three-time Grand Slam champion triumphed 7-5 2-0 after his French opponent had to withdraw through injury just over an hour into their first-round match in the clay-court tournament.
Murray was tested in the opening set and it was only in the 11th game when he earned the break before holding to love to clinch the opener in 51 minutes with the help of his third ace.
He broke Jacquet in the first game of the second set but then had to fend off two break points before extending his lead, at which point Jacquet retired.
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The Sky Sports Tennis team break down why Murray has decided to change his racket at such a late stage in his career
Murray – who will face another Frenchman, Gregoire Barrere, in the last 16 – adopted a new racket for the match with Jacquet, playing with a Yonex rather than the Head equipment he has used throughout his career.
Murray intends to appear at the French Open later this month, likely for the final time after saying he does not anticipate extending his career “much past this summer”.
He last featured at Roland Garros in 2020, losing in the first round to Stanislas Wawrinka, the same player he was beaten by in his previous match on clay in May 2023.
Murray’s fellow Briton Dan Evans, seeded fifth for the event, advanced to the second round with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Hugo Grenier and will next play Harold Mayot.
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Naomi Broady previews the French Open
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