Britain’s Jacob Fearnley suffered a first-round defeat by Zizou Bergs at the Cincinnati Open.

Fearnley was making his debut at the tournament and was comfortably beaten 6-1 6-4 by the Belgian.

The 24-year-old is ranked 55 in the world – just three places below Bergs – but struggled in his first meeting with the 26-year-old.

Fearnley faced nine break points on his serve, losing four, and could only convert one of the two he earned.

His defeat follows a recent first-round exit at the Canadian Open.

In the women’s draw, Britain’s Katie Boulter faces Olga Danilovic in the first round, with the winner playing British number one Emma Raducanu.