"It's really tough for me,'' the second-seeded Kuznetsova said. "I played for two months on clay and I have it almost in my blood.
"I don't have to think about the tactics. I know how to defend, how to attack and what time; how to serve and this and that. And on this surface, everything is opposite. For me, it's too much to change in three days.''
Third-seeded Jelena Jankovic and No. 4 Vera Zvonareva were also beaten, along with top-seeded men's player, Igor Andreev, in the dual WTA and ATP event.
Anna Chakvetadze defeated Jankovic 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, Amelie Mauresmo topped Zvonareva 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 and Frank Dancevic downed Andreev 7-6 (6), 6-2.
It was Chakvetadze's first win over a top-10 opponent since beating Marion Bartoli at the Paris Indoor event in February 2008.
"I am pleased with every win right now because it's very important to me to get back my confidence,'' said Chakvetadze, a former No. 5 who has fallen to No. 31. "I lost a huge opportunity in the first set, but I'm glad I came back in the second and third.''
Jankovic blamed her defeat on adjusting to the surface.
"It was obviously my first match on grass and it took me a while to get the rhythm out there,'' she said. "Getting those low balls, my legs got so tight and so tired. And especially in the third set, I didn't have the energy in my legs any more to bend down.''
Fifth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus withdrew with a hip injury and was replaced by Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain.
