Monday 12 March 2018 08:24, UK
Kyle Edmund has been knocked out of the BNP Paribas Open in California, losing in straight sets to Israel's Dudi Sela.
The British No 1 was beaten 6-4 6-4 in 91 minutes at the tournament in Indian Wells, which is part of the ATP Tour's prestigious Masters 1000 Series.
The 23-year-old made a strong start to his second-round match, breaking serve in game three and at one stage he led 3-1 in the first set.
But that was as good as it got for Edmund who was broken in games six and 10, to lose the set.
There were three more breaks in set two, with world No 97 Sela clinching victory on the first of two match points on the Edmund serve.
Edmund, the No 21 seed who was given a bye in round one, was playing his first competitive match since reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January.
A hip injury prevented him from representing Great Britain in the Davis Cup and he returned on Sunday only to lose to the lower-ranked Sela.
The Brit was unable to dominate on serve, winning just 55 per cent of points on his first serve, compared to 76 per cent by his opponent.
This was the pair's first meeting on the main tour, although 32-year-old Sela did beat a then-teenage Edmund during a Challenger event on grass in 2014.
Meanwhile, Japan's Kei Nishikori has pulled out of the event because of illness.
He said: "I have been sick for over a week and tried everything I could to get better. I'm still not strong enough to go play a match."
The world No 25 was scheduled to face Argentina's Leonardo Mayer in a second-round tie.
As the 22nd seed, Nishikori, received a bye and his place in the draw will be taken by lucky loser Ruben Bemelmans.
You can watch the Masters 1000 from Indian Wells on Sky Sports Arena and via the red button from 6pm on Monday. You can also watch it from 11pm on Sky Sports Main Event.
Keep up to date with the latest on www.skysports.com/tennis with news, previews, live blogs, reports and expert analysis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.
