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By Clare Lovell LONDON, June 11 - Britain's grass season claimed
its first ATP tour victims on Monday when seeds Julien
Benneteau, Lee Hyung-Taik and Fernando Verdasco fell at Queen's. On a muggy, overcast day the trio failed to find their grass
range and balance after the long clay season. The tournament is
the traditional warm-up event for Wimbledon starting on June 25. Spaniard Verdasco, ranked 38th in the world and the 16th
seed here, was out-hit by big Belarussian Max Mirnyi 6-3 6-3. He could not cope with the 1.96-metre Mirnyi's huge serve
and looked baffled when the Belarussian's shots skidded through
low on the pristine green surface at the west London club. Mirnyi, who turns 30 next month and who has carved out a
successful doubles career as well as reaching Wimbledon's fourth
round three times, looked at home. He opened his broad shoulders to serve an ace for the first
point of the match and wrapped up the tie in just over an hour. Benneteau, seeded 10 and ranked 61st, went out 7-5 6-3 to
Colombian Alejandro Falla, ranked 61 places lower. It was the
fourth time on the trot that the 25-year-old Frenchman had been
knocked out in the first round at Queen's. Lee, the 13th seed lost 6-4 6-4 to British number three Alex
Bogdanovic. The South Korean is ranked 70 places above wildcard
Bogdanovic, who put his victory down to a good serve and
attacking tactics. Though spectators might have lamented the loss of British
number one Andy Murray with a wrist injury, they were cheered at
the prospect of a Briton getting as far as the third round after
20-year-old wildcard Jamie Baker beat Austrian Alexander Peya. Top seed Rafael Nadal, the French Open champion, gets a
couple of days' rest before stepping on to London's lawns. He and the seven other leading seeds, including defending
champion Lleyton Hewitt, who has won four Queen's titles, and
three-times former winner Andy Roddick have been given byes into
the second round.
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