Kyle Edmund's inconsistent clay court form continued as the British number one suffered a 6-4 6-3 defeat to Denis Kudla in the first round of the BMW Open in Munich
The 24-year-old, who also failed to progress in the Monte-Carlo Masters, was soon the back foot after losing his opening service game and then trailed 2-4 as American Kudla went on to close out the opening set.
Edmund, the tournament's fifth seed and world number 22, again failed to hold when serving at the start of the second set.
Kudla, ranked number 82 in the world, maintained his momentum to lead 5-3 before securing victory in one hour and 10 minutes after again breaking the Briton to claim his first opportunity on match point.
The American, 26, will go on to play Italian Matteo Berrettini in the second round.
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