Cameron Norrie admitted he was taken by surprise by Michael Zheng after the American qualifier knocked him out of Wimbledon.
Norrie was a shock first-round casualty on a dismal opening day for Britain in SW19.
The British number one, a former semi-finalist, lost in a final-set tie-break after a four-hour marathon on Court Two.
He broke the serve of Zheng, the world number 144, in the very first game, but did not manage to do so again in a bruising 6-7 (7) 6-2 6-7 (2) 6-3 7-6 (4) defeat.
“I knew he was a good player,” said Norrie. “I was quite surprised how he handled my game. My backhand to his forehand, he actually quite liked that, which is on the grass probably my most effective play.
“He was giving me nothing there, which is weird for me. Usually I’m getting so many free points on that exchange.
“I had to adapt in the match. He was adapting well. He was changing his serve. I was not so much surprised, more impressed with his level. Give him a lot of credit.
“Especially the way he won the fifth set, maybe hit seven winners in the fifth-set tie-breaker is pretty good. He deserved it in the end in that tie-break.”
With a host of other British players coming a cropper on a miserable Monday, as well as Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu pulling out, hopes of any home singles success this year looked set to rest solely on Norrie’s shoulders.
But he insisted: “I didn’t feel that (pressure). I didn’t know Jack had pulled out, which is tough. I just found out now.
“But I just wanted to beat Michael today. I was preparing for that. Wanted to get ready for every single point, fight as hard as I could, and bring my best attitude, like I always have my whole career.
“I was not thinking about any of that stuff. I was excited this morning to play Wimbledon. It was a nice experience. Tough one, but I’m looking forward to next year already.”
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