After nearly a two-month break from the ATP Tour with a back injury, Alexei Popyrin's Stockholm Open campaign is over no sooner than it began.
In the Australian's first match since losing to Jannik Sinner in the round of 64 at the US Open, Popyrin has fallen at the first hurdle to Sebastian Korda, going down 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-3 at the indoor hardcourt event on Monday night.
The seventh-seeded Australian had split the two previous clashes with the American but the world No.48, who had enjoyed reaching a career-high 19 just prior to playing at Flushing Meadows, succumbed in two hours 24 minutes.
Both men lost their serve twice in the opening set, while Popyrin was broken a further five times en route to Korda setting up a second-round clash with a fellow unseeded opponent.
Other first-round winners included Swedish wildcard Leo Borg, son of 11-time grand slam winner Bjorn, Brit Jacob Fearnley and Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic.
Meantime at the ATP 250 hardcourt event in Almaty, James Duckworth was a 6-3 6-4 opening-round winner over fellow qualifier Ugo Blanchet, one day after the Frenchman eliminated another Aussie in Rinky Hijikata.
But compatriot Bernard Tomic was beaten in Kazakhstan, 6-1 7-6 (11-9) by eighth seed Corentin Moutet in just under two hours.
Duckworth faces seventh seed Gabriel Diallo next after the Canadian saw off local Amir Omarkhanov, 6-3 6-1.
Defending champion and top seed Karen Khachanov received a first-up bye.
