James Ward has fallen to a three-set defeat to Radu Albot in the final qualifying round for the US Open.
The British number two had stormed through his opening two matches, but he lost the first set 6-1 to the world number 205.
Ward responded positively in the second to take it 6-3 before a rain delay halted his momentum at the beginning of the third.
That allowed Albot to regroup, and when the two players returned, the Moldovan dominated to register a 6-1 3-6 6-2 win.
There was better news for Irish player James McGhee, who fought back from dropping the first set 6-0 to overcome Zhang Ze in three sets.
The 27-year-old has been drawn to play Kazakhstan's Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the first round, which begins on Monday.
Written by
Darren Plant
Darren Plant
