Dan Evans lost in his first ATP Tour final, while fellow Briton Jamie Murray and partner Bruno Soares were beaten in the doubles in Sydney.
Evans, 26, led 4-2 in the first-set tie-break but eventually lost 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 against Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.
However, he is already guaranteed to climb to a new career-high ranking just outside the top 50.
Murray and Brazilian Soares were beaten 6-3 7-5 by Dutch duo Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop.
World number 34 Muller was the highest-ranked player on the tour to have never won a singles title, and the 33-year-old was visibly emotional after beating Evans and ending his 16-year wait for a trophy.