Australia’s representation at the Nice Open ended at the first hurdle on Monday when Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic lost in the opening round.

Dutchman Robin Haase needed just 61 minutes to overpower Matosevic 6-1 6-4 while Hewitt pushed in-form Spaniard Pablo Andujar hard before going down 6-3 4-6 6-3.

The double defeat on the clay courts in the south of France was far from ideal preparation for the Australian pair with the French Open starting in Paris next week.

But for Matosevic, it continues a disappointing run of results that has lowered his world ranking from a career-best No.39 in February to No.61.

Hewitt, who won a wildcard entry to the tournament, was playing his first match in nearly six weeks.

The 32-year-old was as gritty as ever to fight back in the second set but was edged out by world No.53 Andujar, who reached the Madrid Masters semi-finals last week before being beaten by eventual champion and compatriot Rafael Nadal.

In the second round, Andujar will face Yen-Hsun Lu after the Taiwanese player beat Andreas Seppi 7-5 1-6 6-4 to hand the Italian his third successive first-round loss.

Haase will next line up against fourth-seeded John Isner of the United States.

In the other opening-round match, Argentinian Carlos Berlocq crushed countryman Leonardo Mayer 6-2 6-1 in just 59 minutes.