British number two Aljaz Bedene was beaten by Mikhail Youzhny in the opening round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Bedene, 26, lost the opening set with a double fault after leading 4-2, and then let slip a 2-0 lead in the decider as he lost 7-5 2-6 6-3 in Indian Wells.
Youzhny, a former top-10 player who is ranked 76 in the world, took advantage of a poor Bedene service game to break for 5-3 before serving out the win.
Andy Murray will play Marcel Granollers of Spain in round two on Saturday.