Justine Henin-Hardenne
© AFP/File Bertrand Guay

EASTBOURNE, England (AFP) - And the fearless skydive she took with husband Pierre-Yves set the tone for what the Belgian hopes will be a successful start to the grass season with a first appearance at this week's Eastbourne championships which began Monday.

"The jump was amazing," said world number three Henin-Hardenne, who has experienced the thrill of tandem skydiving - linked to an instructor - on numerous occasions.

"My husband was in the same plane with his own instructor. It was really joyous to do something like that after winning in Paris. I try to do it after every major victory."

Henin-Hardenne will wait a day for an opponent as Italy's Mara Santangelo and Czech Kveta Peschke clash Tuesday.

In a limited Monday programme, 2004 finalist Daniela Hantuchova became the first seed to lose, the number eight falling 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) to Russian veteran Elena Likhovtseva, playing the event for the 12th time.

Italian sixth seed Francesca Schiavone dismissed the first of two British wild cards in the field as she put out number 235 Katie O'Brien 6-3, 6-1.

Justine Henin-Hardenne
© AFP/File Eric Feferberg

Two-time quarter-finalist Ai Sugiyama advanced when Slovak Katerina Srebotnik retired with a finger injury 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 4-1.

French veteran Nathalie Dechy put out Israeli teenager Shahar Peer, winner of three minor titles this season, 6-1, 6-4, but not after the agony of saving four break points and finally coming through on a fifth match point in a marathon final game.

Henin-Hardenne's inaugural entry at Devonshire park completes an all-star line-up at Eastbourne, with number one Amelie Mauresmo and Belgian rival Kim Clijsters heading the field.

Second-ranked Clijsters won the title a year ago for her first on grass, a trophy which came in her first participation.

Number one Mauresmo, a semi-finalist in four of her five career events on British grass, will try to forget her only letdown on the surface, a defeat in her opening match a year ago.

But she will have to get past compatriot Dechy in a tough second round tie.

"Grass really suits my game, I'm able to adapt," said Mauresmo. "But it's always a surprise coming on to the surface.

Justine Henin-Hardenne
© AFP/File Bertrand Guay

"Sometimes you adapt really quickly, other times it takes some matches. My main goal is to play matches this week and get comfortable again on the surface."

Henin-Hardenne, whose career has been punctuated by bouts of title-winning brilliance and months of illness and injury, will be playing only her third grass match since Wimbledon 2003.

With her fragile fitness currently under control, the 24-year-old is aiming her ambitions at just getting adjusted to the grass for the brief three-week season on the surface.

"I only played one match on it in 2005, I was injured in the hamstrings and they were hurting badly," she said of a season where she was unable to play Eastbourne and then lost in the Wimbledon first round.

"I hope to get some matches on grass, a good performance would be great for me.

"I feel better now, I have some (fitness) issues, but nothing major," said the player who didn't touch a racket for a week after beating Svetlana Kuznetsova to complete a trophy hat-trick at Roland Garros.

"But grass is a strange surface, you need time to get used to it. Once I knew after Paris that I could play without problems, it was always my goal to come here for the first time."

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