Former finalists Viktor Troicki of Serbia and Finn Jarkko Nieminen made winning starts at the Thailand Open on Tuesday, progressing to the second round.
Sixth seed Troicki had the tougher first round match, coming back from a set down to defeat Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-3.
The win broke a losing streak for world number 31 Troicki who was knocked out in the first rounds of his previous two tournaments.
“I’m happy with this first-round performance,” said the Serb who will play either Frenchman Gael Monfils or South African qualifier Kevin Anderson in the next round.