Britain’s Kyle Edmund pushed world number one Novak Djokovic before fading to a straight-set defeat in the Paris Masters third round.
Edmund, expected to be Great Britain’s last pick for next month’s Davis Cup finals in Madrid, lost 7-6 (9-7) 6-1 against the 32-year-old Serb.
Edmund, 24, caused Djokovic problems before the top seed finally clinched the opener with his seventh set point.
But Edmund could not maintain his level as Djokovic ran away with victory.
The 16-time Grand Slam champion who has been suffering with illness and sounded hoarse in his post-match interview, started to hit the ball cleaner in a second set where he made just four unforced errors.
Despite defeat, Edmund can take plenty of positives from an encouraging week which should seal his place in the British team going to Madrid for the newly revamped Davis Cup finals.
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