British number one Heather Watson grabbed her first grass-court victory of the season by beating Varvara Lepchenko 7-6(4) 6-2 in the first round of the Aegon International in Eastbourne on Monday.
In the first set, the 23-year-old, who has been dealing with a shoulder problem, was able to keep her composure by coming out on top 7-4 in a tie-break.
After taking the lead, Watson managed to claim a crucial break point to give herself a relatively comfortable second-set win over her 38th-ranked American opponent.
The Brit, who was knocked out of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham last week, will face 11th seed Elina Svitolina in the next round today.
