Kyle Edmund will lose his status as British number one after suffering a sixth consecutive defeat at the Shanghai Masters.
The 24-year-old’s dismal run of form continued as he fell to a 6-4 7-6 (3) loss to Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, who took advantage of his only break point of the match in the fifth game of the first set.
Edmund, who has not won since victory over Nick Kyrgios at the Rogers Cup in Montreal in August, is also set to crash out of the world’s top 50 when the new rankings are announced next week.
While Dan Evans, who lost in Shanghai qualifying, is set to leapfrog Edmund to become British number one, Cameron Norrie also stands a chance after another win in China.
Qualifier Norrie beat experienced Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-5 6-2 but next faces a difficult test against US Open finalist Daniil Medvedev.
At the Tianjin Open, Heather Watson advanced to the second round with a 6-4 7-6 (3) win over Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine.
PA
