MASON, Ohio — Andy Murray stepped back into the fray of singles tennis on Monday, seven months after he seemed ready to bid farewell to the sport.

Dusting off a game coated with rust, Murray lost to Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters but showed flashes of the ability that had taken him to the No. 1 ranking and three Grand Slam titles.

“I don’t really know what I was expecting, to be honest,” said Murray, who announced after the loss that he would not play singles at the United States Open, which begins on Aug. 26. “I think I did O.K. I think there was a lot of things I would like to have done better in the match, but, you know, you also have to be somewhat realistic, as well, in terms of what you can expect in terms of how you actually play and hit the ball.”

Monday’s singles match was the first for Murray, 32, since the Australian Open in January, when his five-set loss to Roberto Bautista Agut was treated as a swan song.