British number one Katie Boulter was eliminated from the Australian Open courtesy of a three-set defeat to Veronika Kudermetova, denying her nation a Grand Slam best in the process.
The 22nd seed fought back against the former world number nine after losing a tight first set, but her revival fell short as Kudermetova prevailed 7-6[3] 2-6 6-2 to reach the third round.
The Russian will now face Brazilian 15th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia for a place in the fourth round, and Boulter's defeat means that GB have fallen short of setting a new national record Down Under.
Had Boulter prevailed on Thursday, Great Britain would have had four players in the last 32 of the Australian Open for the first time in the Open Era, as Jack Draper and Jacob Fearnley are both in the third round of the men's singles.
The duo's second-round successes earlier this week preceded a momentous win for Emma Raducanu, who has made it to the third round Down Under for the first time in her career thanks to her battling win over Amanda Anisimova.
The former US Open champion triumphed 6-3 7-5 over the American, but the scoreline did not tell the full story for Raducanu, who found herself a break down in each set but managed to turn the tide.
Each of Raducanu's first three appearances at the Australian Open had ended in the second round, but the 22-year-old has finally banished that curse and will be rewarded with a daunting match against Iga Swiatek in round three.
Ben Knapton
