Qureshi was playing in the main draw of an ATP tournament for the first time this year after battling through qualifying on the Halle grass.

The 27-year-old from Lahore [Images], ranked outside the top 300 but a grasscourt specialist, edged the first set 10-8 on the tie-break and went on to complete victory in one hour 38 minutes.

Roger Federer [Images], the world number one and top seed, withdrew from the tournament on Monday, citing fatigue after his French Open final defeat by Rafael Nadal [Images] the day before.