Beaten by the top man (6)

I believe the answer is:

bested

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'beaten' is the definition.
(besting is a kind of beating)

'top man' is the wordplay.
'top' becomes 'best' ('best' can be similar in meaning to 'top').
'man' becomes 'ed' (**).
'best'+'ed'='BESTED'

'by the' acts as a link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for bested that I've seen before include "Defeated or outwitted" , "Worsted" , "Conquered, overcame" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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