Rusedski, meanwhile, had earlier eased into the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow with a straight-sets victory over Michael Llodra, overpowering his French opponent 6-3 6-1.

It marked a welcome return to the ATP tour for Rusedski, who had not played a competitive singles match since being ousted from the US Open by James Blake in late August.

That first-round defeat in New York was followed by Great Britain’s Davis Cup thrashing by Switzerland, where Rusedski only contested the doubles rubber.

“I’ve been working really hard this last month. I worked hard the week of the Davis Cup, even though I played doubles, and last week in London I worked pretty hard again,” said Rusedski.

“So I think the hard work I’m putting in is just paying off. And also it’s the indoor season, which is the time of year when I usually play my best tennis.”

The 32-year-old looked back to his best against Llodra, who he also beat in Marseille earlier this season, and will next face Russian wild card Igor Kunitsyn.

“I think the first set was the key,” Rusedski told the ATP tour’s official website. “It was pretty tight in the beginning of the match and then I played a really good game to break him to go up 4-2 and that was the key to the match.

“Once I broke him, then the momentum came with me and I had break chances almost in every game. I was really pleased with the way I played.”

Rusedski was a losing finalist in Moscow 12 months ago, ousting Ivo Karlovic, Filippo Volandri, Joachim Johansson and Dominik Hrbaty before losing to Nikolay Davydenko.

“Obviously I’d like to try and win this tournament,” he added. “There’s a lot of good players but I’d like to go one better this year.”