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Barcelona - Lleyton Hewitt returned to the Barcelona Open for the first time since 2002 with an opening-round 6-4 4-6 6-2 defeat of Turk Marsel Ilhan on Tuesday.
But two more seeds were sent out on the clay on Day Two, with Frenchman Jeremy Chardy upsetting Spanish number 14 Albert Montanes 6-3 7-6 (7/1) and 92nd ranked home qualifier Daniel Gimeno-Traver defeating Argentine number 15 Juan Monaco 6-2 3-6 6-2.
It was a day of drama off-court as Rafael Nadal detailed his reasons for withdrawing as a precaution from one of the events which is closest to his Spanish heart and where he has won the last five editions.
"It's been a tough year," said the world number three, who expressed his disappointment at being forced to let down his home club and public.
"My goal is to remain healthy and fit," said a player well acquainted with injury absences due to the delicate state of his knees.
Nadal said that three straight weeks of elite clay events - Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome - were too much in too short a period, another knock at the ATP calendar which he has long complained is helping to cause player injuries and burnout.
"I'm being as cautious as possible, I want to have as long a career as possible," said Nadal, who lost his only match in Barcelona in 2003.
"Tennis isn't like football, you don't know how many matches you will play." He is expected to return for Rome next week.
The 12th-seeded Hewitt went missing for eight years at the Real Club de Tenis, where he challenged as world number one for a place in the 2002 final but lost his semi to eventual champion Gaston Gaudio.
In the intervening years, the former Wimbledon and US Open winner played sparingly on the spring European clay, due partly to his natural disposition for hardcourts and also later due to injuries which have included two hip surgeries.
But Hewitt showed no ill effects as he began his European clay season with the goal of doing well in the run-up to Roland Garros next month.
The Australian fired ten aces and broke six times against Turkey Ilhan, who could be the key to a possible upset of Britain in a do-or-die Davis Cup playoff in July for his nation.
Hewitt saved four of the five break points he faced in a victory lasting just under two hours.
The 29-year-old Aussie, who underwent right hip surgery on January 29, is playing in his second tournament back after Houston, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Juan Ignacio Chela.
Hewitt's win marked only his sixth of an abbreviated season against three losses.
In second-round play, Spaniard Ivan Navarro Pastor advanced over Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 6-2 6-4.
Results from the ATP Barcelona Open (x denotes seeding):
First Round:
Ernests Gulbis (LAT) bt Peter Luczak (AUS) 7-6 (7/4) 6-3
Feliciano Lopez (ESP x16) bt Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. (UKR) 6-3 3-0 - rtd
Alberto Martin (ESP) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 7-5 6-4
Daniel Gimeno (ESP) bt Juan Monaco (ARG x10) 6-2 3-6 6-2
Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Stephane Robert (FRA) 7-6 (7/5) 1-6 6-1
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS x12) bt Marsel Ilhan (TUR) 6-4 4-6 6-2
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) bt Albert Montanes (ESP x14) 6-3 7-6 (7/1)
Albert Ramos (ESP) bt Michael Russell (USA) 6-4 6-3
Jurgen Melzer (AUT x11) bt Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 6-3 6-3
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) bt Mischa Zverev (GER) 4-6 6-4 6-2
Simone Bolelli (ITA) bt Tommy Robredo (ESP x9) 6-7 (7/9) 6-4 3-1 - rtd
Second Round:
Ivan Navarro (ESP) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 6-2 6-4
Nicolas Almagro (ESP x15) bt Simon Greul (GER) 6-1 6-3
