Kyle Edmund beaten by Alexander Zverev in China Open first round

The British No. 2 Kyle Edmund has been eliminated from the Chinese Open in the first round after a consecutive loss to Alexander Zverev.

Edmund lost 3-6 6-7 (3-7) to the German in Beijing, but he may be unlucky to have received such a hard tie in the first round.

Zverev is in second place in the tournament, and has risen to a race number four in the world ranking.

The match was won fairly comfortably by Zverev, who relied on his serve to power past Edmund.

Zverev broke seven aces in comparison to his opponent's, and served only three double faults compared to Edmund's seven.

The 20-year-old also won 71 percent of the points on his own service, while Edmund could only win 59 percent - highlighting the chasm between the two players on the day.

Zverev made it easier for the first set, breaking Edmund twice to pass a 6-3 lead. But Edmund increased his game in the second set, and both players broke the serve when they entered a playoff.

In short, however, it was Zverez, who has five tour titles this year, who advanced to a second-round match with Fabio Fognini.

British hopes in China now rest with Aljaz Bedene, who moved into the second round with a win in straight sets over Marcel Granollers. Bedene will now face the fifth seed, Roberto Bautista Agut.