Dolgopolov ousted in Eastbourne

Jun 17, 2013 - 6:31 PM Eastbourne, England (Sports Network) - Sixth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov was among Monday's opening-round losers at the $625,000 Aegon International, a final grass-court Wimbledon tune-up.

Former top-10 performer Fernando Verdasco of Spain overcame the Ukrainian Dolgopolov in 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 fashion at Devonshire Park.

Additional upsets were avoided when seventh-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi came back to best French qualifier Guillaume Rufin 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and eighth-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy fought back to beat Slovenian Grega Zemlja 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 6-4.

The 2011 Eastbourne champion Seppi was last year's runner-up here to since- retired American Andy Roddick.

In other Day-1 play, Spaniard Albert Ramos handled qualifier and fading American James Blake 6-2, 6-4, American qualifier Ryan Harrison outlasted Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), and British wild card Kyle Edmund dismissed French qualifier Kenny De Schepper 6-4, 6-4. Edmund is rewarded with a second-round match against another Frenchman, second-seeded Gilles Simon.