Gasquet stunned by Istomin in Metz
Richard Gasquet's quest to win the Moselle Open will have to wait for another year after he was a surprise first-round casualty on Tuesday.
The Frenchman has twice been a beaten semi-finalist at the ATP 250 event but will not goi far in 2017 after Denis Istomin battled back to beat the sixth seed 1-6 6-4 6-4.
It looked like being a very different story as Gasquet reeled off six straight games to close out the opening set in 26 minutes, but he was then guilty of wasting crucial chances.
Gasquet let seven break points slip by in the remainder of the match and Istomin made him pay to secure a meeting with Yannick Maden – who beat Nicolas Kicker in three sets.
Seventh seed Benoit Paire had no such problems as qualifier Stefanos Tsitsipas was brushed aside 6-2 6-4, but another Frenchman departed as Julien Benneteau was beaten by Nicolas Almagro.
Like Istomin, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Peter Gojowczyk both had to come from a set down to secure their progression, while Marcel Granollers edged a marathon match with Simone Bolelli.
Both of the sets won by the Spaniard went to deep into tie-breaks, Granollers eventually prevailing 7-6 (11-9) 3-6 7-6 (10-8).