Robson beaten by veteran Date-Krumm

Laura Robson followed defending champion Heather Watson out of the Japan Open in the first round after a disappointing loss to 43-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm.

Robson, 19, took a wild card into the tournament in Osaka but it did not pay off as she went down 6-4 6-4 in an hour and 26 minutes to the wily Japanese player.

It is the second time Robson has lost to Date-Krumm in Osaka after also being beaten on her debut in 2010, but the British teenager had won their last meeting in Beijing in 2012.

Robson has had a good year in the grand slams, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon and the third round at the Australian Open and US Open, but she has won only 11 matches on the WTA Tour all season.

Her only quarter-final came in Guangzhou last month, where she reached the final last year, and, although she reached a career-high ranking of 27 post Wimbledon, she has slipped back to 42.