Tennis: Tim Henman's dismal season sank to a fresh low when he was dumped out of the Artois Championship in the first round with a humiliating 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 4-6 defeat to wildcard Marin Cilic.
The British number two appeared to be cruising early in the third set after making an abysmal start to the match but he allowed Cilic — a man 14 years his junior — back into the game.
A crucial Hawk-Eye challenge was the key moment with the technology finding in favour of the 18-year-old Croat when he queried a call, breaking Henman as a result.
The defeat against a talented but erratic opponent who was clearly suffering from nerves will renew calls for Henman to retire. His lack of confidence was plain to see with his composure deserting him at crucial moments and today's Queen's Club exit is his sixth first-round defeat in seven tournaments this season.
Meanwhile, three-time former champion Andy Roddick put the dark days of clay behind him to record a confident 6-4 6-4 second-round victory over Radek Stepanek.
The American second seed, ignominiously defeated in the first round of the French Open two weeks ago, delighted in the speed of the slick surface, hammering down 12 aces.
Stepanek, no slouch himself on grass having reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year, tried to serve and volley but often found himself stranded at the net by some fine Roddick passes.
Top seed Rafael Nadal, who like Roddick enjoyed a bye to the second round, had his first taste of grass, playing doubles in warm sunshine with fellow-Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.
They lost 6-3 7-6 to Jeff Coetzee and Rogier Wassen but the world number two looked relaxed and moved well despite the exertions of the last fortnight and his French Open triumph.