The men's ASB Classic has lost its first high-profile player, with fifth seed Chris Eubanks bundled out in the opening round of the tournament.
On Monday, Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp beat the American in straight sets, prevailing 7-6 6-2 on centrecourt in Auckland.
The pair - who are separated by 16 spots in the world rankings (Eubanks No. 34, van de Zanschulp No. 50) - traded service games through the opening set, before van de Zandschulp rallied to edge his opponent and claim the spoils.
Eubanks appeared to be struggling with a glute injury, receiving extensive treatment courtside during the break between sets.
The second set was a much more comprehensive affair for van de Zandschulp, who broke the clearly hobbled Eubanks' serve immediately and never looked back.
He'll advance to the second round on Wednesday to play Alejandro Tabilo from Chile, who defeated Borna Gojo from Croatia 1-6 6-3 6-2.
In earlier results, Frenchman Luca Van Assche dispatched crowd favourite American J.J. Wolf 6-4 6-2, Japan's Taro Daniel was too strong for Australian Aleksandar Vukic in a 7-5 7-5 win, while German Daniel Altmaier downed Marcos Giron 7-6 6-2.
