Andy Murray will be keeping a close eye on the weather forecast today as he prepares to play his opening match at the Aegon Championships in London, knowing patience may well be the key to his fortunes.

A twist of fate means that, for the second straight year, he will open his title bid against Nicolas Mahut, the Frenchman who beat him at the same stage last year.

Yesterday, a day when several interruptions for rain made for slippery, difficult conditions, Mahut impressed in his 6-3, 6-2 victory over the young American, Rhynne Williams.

At 31, the Frenchman may be in the twilight of his career but he is also in good form, having reached the doubles final at the French Open. "To play Andy here at Queen's is not a good draw but last year I played amazing and I won the match," Mahut said. "I hope this year it's going to be the same. Everyone expects him to win here and to win Wimbledon, so he has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, so it should be much easier for me to play [than him]."

Today's forecast suggests even more rain could descend on Queen's Club in West London, which is a shame because Murray is itching to get started. The Scot has been practising well for the past 10 days and having missed the French Open because of a back injury, has reported no pain or strains as he switches to one of his favourite surfaces.

While Murray spent yesterday giving one young fan a special memory as part of the Make a Wish Foundation, helping those with cancer, one of Britain's top young players gave notice of his potential.

Kyle Edmund has been on Murray's radar as the best junior in the country for a couple of years and the 17-year-old made his ATP Tour debut here. Edmund gave a good account of himself against the world No 51 Grega Zemlja of Slovenia and was far from disgraced in losing 6-4, 7-6.

Ranked No 444 (from outside the top 1000 this time last year), Edmund is not that far off where Murray was at the same age and he may well be rewarded for his rise with a wildcard at Wimbledon.

The wildcards are due to be announced today and though usually only Britons inside the top 250 are eligible, Edmund's swift rise could make him an exception. "It would be unbelievable," Edmund said. "It's always been, since I started playing tennis, a dream to play Wimbledon. If I got the opportunity, I'd be very thankful. I'd go out there and give it my all. But at the same time, if I don't get one, it doesn't mean I deserve one. I think I've got a good chance. I know I'm in the mix to get it, but I'll respect the decision either way it goes."

While British eyes were on Edmund, Australian eyes were on the Tomic family – Bernard on the court and father John in the crowd. The latter was banned from attending the French Open because he is due to face charges of assault against his son's former hitting partner.

Unlike in Paris, where he was denied entry either through a credential or as a member of the public, John Tomic was allowed to buy his own ticket at Queen's. Bernard Tomic, who lost 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 to Germany's Benjamin Becker, said he had been focused on his match alone.

"I didn't see him, to be honest," he said, not altogether convincingly. "I saw my dad in the morning. I had breakfast with him. It was 50-50 whether he was going to come. I didn't really know he was there today. I wasn't really looking."

Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro came through a tough clash with Xavier Malisse, twice coming from a break down in the final set to record a 7-6, 1-6, 7-5, while Lukas Rosol was among the others to beat the rain.

In Birmingham, Heather Watson and Johanna Konta both recorded encouraging wins in round one of the AEGON Classic. Watson picked up her first win since February, beating Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-4, 7-6, while Konta beat Japanese qualifier Karumi Nara. The British No.1, Laura Robson, faces the former top 10 player Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in her second-round match.

Elsewhere, Scotland's Elena Baltacha, the former British No.1, will take on the top seed Misaki Doi of Japan today in the first round of an ITF Women's Circuit Nottingham Challenger 2. Baltacha, who won the event two years ago, will be hoping to rediscover top form as she continues her comeback to the Tour after nine months out through injury.