British veteran Tim Henman finally saw his luck change against Andy Murray on Wednesday as he beat the teenager for the first time in four attempts, 6-4, 6-2, at the Thailand Open.
The unseeded 32-year-old Henman, now ranked 58th in the world, needed just more than 80 minutes to take out the fourth seed in the first round.
Murray, at a career-high world No. 16, first defeated Henman late last year in Basel and then produced back-to-back wins last month at ATP Masters events in Toronto and Cincinnati.
"It was really hard to get ready to play here, I wasn't tired, but it is such a change from Davis Cup play," said Murray, who will remain safely in the top 20 despite the defeat.
"Playing Tim is always big, I knew it would not be easy at all. I just couldn't play my best after 18 hours of travel," he said.
Henman said he was more pleased about earning victory, his 23rd of the season against 16 losses, than he was about finally besting his heir apparent as Britain's top player.
He also conceded that Murray's late arrival from Davis Cup play at the weekend in Ukraine certainly didn't help the 19-year-old Scot's cause.
"He's had a tough schedule," said Henman, who next faces another countryman Thursday when he goes against Alex Bogdanovic in the second round. "Andy's had a lot of matches and I'm sure he was tired."
Henman's success hinged on the marathon final game of the opening set, when he saved four break points, only to see three set points evaporate.
But the veteran's perseverance and experience paid off when he finally converted on set point with a crisp chip volley winner.
The loss of the first set took the wind out of a demoralised Murray, with the Scot boiling over and receiving a warning for abuse in the first game of the second set as he lost serve.
Henman then displayed some of his best tennis, reaching 4-0 on two breaks. Murray won a pair of games before surrendering, with Henman finishing him off on another dink volley winner that just dropped over the net.
Finnish fifth seed Jarkko Nieminen, a two-time semi-finalist in Bangkok, fought through a troublesome opening set to finally subdue Argentina's Edgardo Massa, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2.
Top seed Martina Hingis cruised into the second round of the Korea Open, defeating Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, on Wednesday.
Fans were out in force on the third day of the US$145,000 tournament at Seoul Olympic Park to watch Hingis continue her winning ways after victory in the Kolkata Sunfeast Open.
The former world No. 1 has clawed her way back into the top 10 after a three-year battle with injuries and got a rapturous welcome from the crowd.
Hingis looked a little rusty in the opening exchanges and took time to find her accuracy.
But once she did, she thrilled the crowd with some delicate drop shots and her trademark baseline power play that proved too much for her 16-year-old opponent.
"It was a little stressful to get here from India and I am happy that I could step up my game and win," Hingis said.
The five-time Grand Slam winner appeared to feel at home on the hard court of the 1988 Olympic Arena.
"I like the slow surface here, I feel the slower the better. It gives us power players a chance to get quick winners," she said.
Hingis, who turns 26 on Saturday, took 34 minutes to clinch the first set. Wozniacki, this year's junior Wimbledon champion, fought valiantly but Hingis went on to call all the shots in the second set, and the Swiss brought the crowd to their feet with a delightful lob on the run in the fourth game.
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