Australian Marinko Matosevic has been knocked out of the opening round of the Brisbane International by American Steve Johnson.
Matosevic gave up a prime opportunity to knock off the world No.37 after stealing the first set in a little more than a half hour, but was unable to maintain the momentum, falling 2-6 7-6 (7-0) 7-5.
A grinding effort saw Johnson claim the second set tiebreak 7-0 before eliminating the 29-year-old in a 51-minute third set.
The world No.77 was last week named an injury replacement for world No.9 and US Open champion Marin Cilic due to a lingering shoulder injury, but failed to join fellow Aussie first round winners Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the tournament’s second round.
The youthful pair will meet at the next stage of the ATP 250 event after Tomic overcame American Sam Querry 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) on Monday night while teenager Kokkinakis upset world No.25 Julian Benneteau in straight sets, 6-4 6-3.
“I’m excited to be playing (Kokkinakis) — he played very well today and I hope I take it to him,” the 22-year-old Tomic said of Wednesday’s matchup.
“I beat him, but he claims he’s beaten me once and he doesn’t let me live it down,’’ Kokkinakis joked.
“No, he’s a good guy and should be a good match. I feel like I’m hitting the ball well, so just worry about my game more than who I am playing, and hopefully I do all right.’’
Another Aussie, James Duckworth, added to the list of first round upsets when he sent sixth seed Gilles Simon packing in a 6-2 6-, 68-minute win.
Photo: Saeed Khan/Getty Images.
