Andy Murray booked his spot in the second round of the Gijon Open after overcoming Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.
The 35-year-old returned to the ATP Tour for the first time since the Laver Cup and took one hour and 43 minutes to record a 7-5 6-2 success after overcoming a slow start.
Davidovich Fokina broke Murray's serve in the very first game of the contest and was presented with the chance to earn a double break in the fifth game, but Murray ultimately managed to hold.
The three-time major winner would break back in the eighth game to level the first set at 4-4 as he began to find his groove, and despite missing two break points in the 12th game, he took his third to clinch a tight first set.
Having lost his grip on the contest, Davidovich Fokina was unable to regain any momentum early doors in the second set, as Murray broke immediately before sealing a love hold with an ace for a 3-0 lead.
The unforced error count started to rack up for the Spanish sixth seed, who went 5-1 down as Murray sought to serve out the match, but a double fault brought up a break point for Davidovich Fokina.
The Spaniard converted to delay Murray's celebrations, but the Brit would convert the third of three break points on offer to him in the final game to wrap up a straight-sets success.
Either Pedro Cachin or Alexey Vatutin will await Murray in the second round as he continues his search for a first ATP singles title in three years.
Murray's victory comes after fellow Brit Harriet Dart made it into the second round of the Transylvania Open with a 6-2 6-0 victory over France's Oceane Dodin.
Ben Knapton
