Dan Evans, Heather Watson and Aljaz Bedene lose in Miami Open

Dan Evans was upset by Ernesto Escobedo at the Miami Open on Wednesday and came close to defaulting after confronting fans on a bad day for the Brits.

Evans, beaten in the second round at Indian Wells last week, went down 7-5 0-6 6-3 to a 20-year-old qualifier ranked 65 places beneath him at 108.

But it was his behaviour on court that made the headlines, with Evans being given a penalty point after warnings for racket abuse and swearing, although the latter was something the Briton denied.

Evans admitted after the match he had lost control of his temper when he was reported by a lineswoman in the fifth game of the deciding set.

"I actually didn't swear at that point and to lose the game wasn't great. But it's fine, I should deal with it better next time," Evans said.

He had earlier lost his rag with vociferous fans during the first set, and Evans added: "They were going nuts on the side but I shouldn't let myself hear it, just let it go. It's natural to have a go back at them. My first instinct is to say something, but it's a bit stupid."

Escobedo's first serve made the difference as he won 84 per cent of points when it landed, serving 10 aces in the process on his way to a first win over a top-50 player.

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And the British No 2's defeat coincided with a first-round exit for Heather Watson, who lost 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 to Romania's Patricia Tig.

Aljaz Bedene then became the third Briton to depart, retiring at 4-0 down in the second set having lost the first 7-5 to German Jan-Lennard Struff.

And to add to a miserable day for British tennis, Kyle Edmund also made an early exit from the tournament as he crashed out 2-6 7-6 6-2 to American qualifier Jared Donaldson.

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