British No 2 Cameron Norrie has been knocked out of the China Open after a 6-3 6-4 defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the first round.
Norrie failed to find his best form in Beijing, making plenty of unforced errors and allowing his opponent to gain a comfortable lead despite world No 11 Medvedev not being at his best.
Medvedev broke Norrie five times in the match, which lasted an hour and 15 minutes, as he exposed issues with his forehand.
Medvedev, who is seeded eighth, will face Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last 16.
Earlier this year, Norrie claimed one of his best victories with a five-set triumph over Medvedev in the first round of the French Open.
“I didn’t play badly, I served pretty well except for a couple of games, same on the return,” Medvedev said.
“I had a lot of chances to break and I think I deserve to win in terms of the game plan and the stats, so I’m happy to go through.
“I can play much, much better than that. The way back is step by step, and this was a small step forward.
“I was trying to be aggressive. And I think I did. I hit a lot of winners.”
Norrie vs Medvedev: Tale of the Tape
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