Emma Raducanu got her HSBC Championships off to a blistering start with a straight-sets win over Anna Blinkova, before her and Katie Boulter were beaten in their doubles opener.
The British No 1 dazzled the packed London crowd in a 20-minute first set where she didn't drop a game.
Raducanu was visibly happier on the court, watched on by her new coach Andrew Richardson - whom she reunited with last month after the pair won the US Open in 2021, as she breezed to a 6-0 6-3 straight-sets win.
Blinkova, however, never lost hope and bounced back in the second set, producing an expert volleyed drop-shot to win her first game after an early Raducanu break, before the Brit produced three straight double faults to allow the Russian to level the game with a hold at 3-3.
Raducanu, though, kept her composure well under significant pressure from her opponent, and a vital break at 4-3 ahead allowed her to serve for the match and book her safe passage into the second round.
"I feel like I started extremely well, and despite not having played a lot of matches, I was really pleased with how I came out and was playing very free," Raducanu said after her victory. "I was just feeding off of the atmosphere, and it felt free, it felt clear, and a lot of clarity.
"It was a really good stepping stone, and the way I was feeling on the court, the way I was moving, the way I was expressing myself, just the whole package, not necessarily the tennis, just how I was acting on the court, I really enjoyed it.
"That's something that I want to take forward in all of my matches and really embrace this grass court season."
Raducanu will face Romanian seventh seed Sorana Cristea, who defeated Maddison Inglis 6-4 5-7 6-2, as she looks to build momentum with just over two weeks to Wimbledon.
Katie Boulter also got her Queen's campaign off to a winning start as she beat world No 23 Layla Fernandez 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 in a thriller on Andy Murray arena.
Boulter was a set down and level at 3-3 in the second set when rain stopped play on Monday. But the Brit battled back in the sunshine on Tuesday upon the resumption to win through.
"I'm really pleased about the way I came back today. I felt like I was a step slow yesterday and she was playing great. I felt I had to respond today - it's really hard to sleep when you're in the middle of a match! I'm really pleased to win today and happy to be in the second round here."
Boulter will now faces a second-round meeting with Romanian Jacqueline Cristian, who defeated Qinwen Zheng in straights sets in her tournament opener.
Serena Williams' competitive comeback - and victory - left Raducanu and Boulter playing on court one for their first-round match against Storm Hunter and Shuai Zhang later in the day, where they unable to build on their singles success.
The British duo battled back from a set down to force a final-set tiebreak, before Hunter and Zhang closed out a 6-4 3-6 10-5 victory to reach the quarter finals.
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