Seventh-seeded German Anna- Lena Groenefeld and eighth-seeded Czech Klara Koukalova posted first-round wins, while 48-year-old Martina Navratilova came up a loser at the grass-court Ordina Open.
Playing her first singles match since Wimbledon last year, the nine-time Wimbledon singles titlist Navratilova gave way to Luxembourg's Claudine Schaul 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 at Autotron Rosmalen.
Navratilova lost nine straight games in the second and third sets, but fought back to make the final stanza a tight battle. Schaul ultimately advanced on her first match point.
Groenefeld grounded Russian Alina Jidkova 6-3, 6-2, while the 2004 Ordina Open runner-up Koukalova overcame Poland's Marta Domachowska 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Koukalova lost to France's Mary Pierce in last year's finale here.
Additional opening-round wins came for Czech Denisa Chladkova, Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual and American Meghann Shaughnessy, who topped Israeli Anna Smashnova 6-2, 6-4. Chladkova's second-round opponent will be this week's top seed, Russian Elena Dementieva.
The winner of this $170,000 final Wimbledon tune-up will earn $27,000.