James Ward suffers early Barcelona Open exit

Great Britain's James Ward has been knocked out in the opening round of the Barcelona Open with a three-set defeat to Marsel Ilhan.

Both players exchanged breaks during a cagey opening set, but it was Turkish world number 84 Ilhan who came through the tie-break thanks to an emphatic 7-2 scoreline.

However, Ward fought back in the second, saving four break points on his way to closing it out 6-3 to level the contest.

The Brit's effort to get himself back in the match took its toll though, as Ilhan raced into a 4-0 lead in the decider before sealing his progress 7-6[2] 3-6 6-1.