British number two Aljaz Bedene saw off Russia's Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets to reach the second round of the Shenzhen Open in China.
Bedene, 26, ranked 55th, beat world number 91 Youzhny 6-3 6-3 and will play 19-year-old South Korean rising star Hyeon Chung in round two.
Czech Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic of Croatia are the top seeds in Shenzhen.
Slovenia-born Bedene, who became a UK citizen in March, is ranked 45 places above British number three Kyle Edmund.
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