ANDY Murray's Wimbledon aspirations may be uppermost in his mind, but he still has an eye on achieving a significant milestone at Queen's Club this week.

Assuming he made it past 16th seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez yesterday (Thursday), the Scot, could become the first Briton to win the competition if he lives up to his number one seeding.

Murray launched his campaign at the re-branded Aegon Championships with a straight sets win over Italian Andreas Seppi in less than an hour on Wednesday afternoon.

With 11 ATP titles to his name since landing his first in San Jose in 2006, the 22-year-old is no stranger to closing out a tournament against some of the world's best players.

That is even before you consider that the world's number three seed has already reached a Grand Slam final – last year's US open which he lost to Roger Federer.

The inability of Rafael Nadal to defend his title this year – he is absent, protecting a knee injury picked up at the French Open – leaves Murray with no-one to fear in his quest to go one better than Tim Henman, who lost the final three times at Queen's.

Four times winners Andy Roddick may again prevail – assuming he got past another four-time winner yesterday in Lleyton Hewitt. But he would not be encountered before Sunday's final.

And with a potential quarter-final against Mardy Fish or clay courter Feliciano Lopez to come today (Friday) and a semi-final denuded of top seeds Gael Monfils or Marat Safin (both injury withdrawals), Murray must fancy his chances.

Given that the quaint west London grounds are decked out in the corporate blue of the new sponsors rather than the deep Stella Artois red with which the tournament has been identified since it launched in 1979, it would be appropriate indeed were Murray to herald in the new era by landing the trophy.

Henman's love of grass did not quite allow him to go the extra mile. He lost to Hewitt in the 2001 and 2002 finals and to Pete Sampras in 1999. But Murray quickly established a bond of his own with the Queen's turf in his first appearances and it was in 2005 as a raw 18-year-old ranked about 350 in the world that he first served notice of his abilities.

Early promise against seeded players was dented then by fitness worries and inexperience. But neither factor looks like interfering this time.