Jeson Patrombon tried his best to adjust to grass from clay but fell short in his opening match when he lost to wildcard bet Lynn Max Kempen of Germany, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-5, in the 11th Gerry Webber Junior Open in Halle, Germany.

Seeded seventh in the Grade 2 tournament, Patrombon struggled at the new court surface after playing four events in clay – including the French Open – the past month.

“This is our first match on grass and I know we will be able to adjust in the coming days and weeks towards Wimbledon,” said Patrombon’s coach Manny Tecson.

“In the first set, Jeson was still struggling with his footing on the grass and was too far back the baseline as if he was playing on clay,” he added.

Patrombon gave the 15-year-old, 6-foot-3 Kempen his second match victory in singles this year after making his first appearance at the International Junior Tournament of Offenbach/Main in Offenbach, Germany last week, where he lost in the second round.