After a predictable end to his Monte Carlo Masters, Gael Monfils heads to Romania for the Nastase Tiriac Trophy.
The exciting Frenchman upset Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov on his way to the semi-finals, but he was beaten by Tomas Berdych.
It continued what has been a good year for Monfils, who reached the Rotterdam quarter-finals and was runner-up in Marseille in February.
Speaking after his loss to Berdych, Monfils said he had no answers to the big-hitting Czech's game.
"Tomas is one of the players who gives me the most trouble," he said.
"I can't find, not even talking about a solution, but a way of playing that gives him trouble and that I can feel comfortable with. My game doesn't give him trouble at all.
"I am not even frustrated, because I knew it would happen beforehand. I hope I will find a solution someday."
Fortunately for Monfils, Berdych will not be featuring at the ATP 250 event played on clay courts in Bucharest.
Monfils is the second seed, with his countryman Gilles Simon the top-ranked player in the draw.
Three-time champion Simon's first outing - in the second round - is likely to be against returning Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.
Tipsarevic, a former world number eight, missed 2014 and has played just one tournament this year on his return from a foot injury that almost ended his career.
Now ranked 829th in the world, Tipsarevic received a wildcard and will meet a qualifier in the first round.
Monfils will take on either Russian Mikhail Youzhny or Romanian wildcard Marius Copil in the second round.
Grigor Dimitrov has opted not to defend his title, but the man he beat in last year's final - 2013 champion Lukas Rosol - is back.
Ivo Karlovic, '13 finalist Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Viktor Troicki, Jiri Vesely and Simone Bolelli are the other seeds in the draw.