Dan Evans missed out on setting up a second-round clash against fellow Brit Kyle Edmund after losing to Paul-Henri Mathieu in his Aegon Championship opener at Queen's on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old suffered a 6-7(8) 7-6(6) 3-6 defeat to Mathieu in a rain-affected match in London.
Nothing could separate the two competitors in the first set, resulting in a battling tie-break, which was taken 10-8 by Mathieu.
Evans managed to break back after dropping serve in the second set, and once again a breaker was needed on the grass court.
The Brit held his nerve to draw level on sets, but he failed to carry his momentum into the third as Mathieu went a break up and held serve to clinch victory.
