Great Britain suffered a double dose of disappointment at the Delray Beach Open as Dan Evans and Liam Broady were both eliminated in the first round.
Evans's run came to a premature end with a 5-7 0-6 defeat to Jordan Thompson, prior to which Broady was sent packing 2-6 6-1 1-6 at the hands of Rinky Hijikata.
Seeded seventh heading into his Delray Beach opener, which marked his first contest on the ATP Tour since losing his Australian Open first-round match to Lorenzo Sonego, Evans's clash with Thompson saw the pair lock horns at the top level for the first time.
Evans had overcome the Australian in the final of the 2022 Nottingham Challenger event, and a contest between two men separated by just two places in the ATP rankings was initially as tight as the standings would suggest.
Neither man fashioned a single break point in the first 10 games, but a capitulation from Evans in the 11th brought up three break points for Thompson, who only needed one before also converting his first set point.
While the first set was a close-run affair, the second was a painful watch for Evans's team, as the Briton lost serve straight away and wasted his first and only opportunity to earn an immediate break back.
© Reuters
Helped by three double faults from the world number 44, Thompson - who lost just one point behind his second serve in the second set - capped off a brilliant bagel with a love hold to seal victory in just over half an hour.
Evans will not be alone on the early flight home to the UK, though, as Broady's maiden ATP Tour showdown with Thompson's compatriot Hijikata saw the Briton come out on the wrong end of a three-set thriller.
The world number 121 was returning to action for the first time since the January Hong Kong Open, having withdrawn from qualifying for the Australian Open due to an ankle injury, and he came under the cosh straight away on Tuesday.
Hijikata squandered three break points in the opening game but made no mistake on his fourth, and the Australian clinched the double break in the second for a 5-2 lead in a dominant opening performance.
However, after missing three chances to break Broady in the first game of the second set, Hijikata crumbled, being broken twice himself as a resurgent Broady forced a third set in incredible circumstances.
The 30-year-old's purple patch did not last long, though, as after marching to an opening hold in the decider, Broady endured a miserable five-game losing streak as Hijikata advanced to meet Italian sixth seed Matteo Arnaldi.
Ben Knapton
