Leyton Hewitt reached the last 16 of the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Grigor Dimitrov.
The Australian, a four-time champion at the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event, marched into the last 16 at the expense of the Bulgarian world number 28.
The 32-year-old is well into the twilight of his career and a lowly 82 in the world rankings but broke his opponent, a decade younger, in the third game and went on to take the opening stanza.
Hewitt had not tasted victory since the first round of the Miami Masters in March before this week but the former Wimbledon champion was serving superbly, not facing a single break point, and broke in the opening game of the second set before wrapping up a 67 minute victory.
“I thought I played a really smart match,” Hewitt said. “My first match here wasn’t pretty, but I fought hard and got through it. That’s what I needed to do. Then today it was a classy performance.”
He will next face American 2010 champion Sam Querrey in the third round.
British wild card Dan Evans enjoyed a famous win over Finland’s Jarkko Niemenen.
The world number 277 followed up his victory over world number 75 Guido Pella by beating the 13th seed 6-4 6-7 6-4.
Evans, who starred in Britain’s Davis Cup win over Russia in April, made an early break to win the opening set but was pegged back by the veteran – ranked 240 places higher – 8-6 in the second set tie-break.
But the 23-year-old, who recently won a Futures tournament in Sweden, hit back to make two crucial break in the decider and take victory in 108 minutes.
Second seed Tomas Berdych, playing his first match since a first-round defeat at the French Open, eased past Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker 6-1 6-4 in a match interrupted by rain.
US Open champion and top seed Andy Murray is currently in action against Nicolas Mahut of France, the man who beat him in a third set tie-break at the same stage last year before Jo Wilfried Tsonga faces Edouard Roger Vasselin.
Defending champion Marin Cilic meets compatriot Ivan Dodig on Court One.
Round 2 results:
2-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Thiemo de Bakker (Netherlands) 6-1 6-4
7-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) beat Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 6-3 4-6 6-4
Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat 10-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 6-4 6-3
Daniel Evans (Britain) beat 13-Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 6-4 6-7(6) 6-4
16-Grega Zemlja (Slovenia) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) 7-5 6-4
Kenny De Schepper (France) beat Rohan Bopanna (India) 6-4 6-3
Marinko Matosevic (Australia) beat Michael Llodra (France) WO
