Heather Watson was outgunned by American teenager Madison Keys to become the seventh Briton to lose in the first round at Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old from Guernsey went down 6-3 7-5 in the opening match on Court Two, leaving Andy Murray as the only British player so far to reach round two.
Laura Robson and wildcard Tara Moore will try to match the world number two when they play their first-round matches later on Tuesday.
Watson reached the third round last year and qualified by right this time, but was short of matches after a two-month absence with glandular fever. She also ran into one of the game's rising stars in fine form.
Keys, 18, was reported to have been unwell over the weekend but there were no signs of that when she cracked forehand and backhand winners to break serve in game three.
Another break gave the American the set, before Watson stepped up the aggression at the start of the second to move ahead at 2-1.
However, Keys - ranked four places above the Briton at a career-high of 52 - always had the edge in power.
She hit back to level at 4-4, fired down two aces to get out of trouble in the next game, and benefited from two net cords as she broke again to wrap up a deserved win after one hour and 16 minutes.
"Some outsiders might look at my draw and think, 'She hasn't got a seeded player, she's got a good draw,'" said Watson.
"But I know Madison is a good player. She's going to be top 30 soon and maybe even higher. It is very tough to get up there."
British hopes now rest with Robson, who faces a stern test against world number 10 Maria Kirilenko on Court One, and Moore, ranked 198 and up against Estonia's former quarter-finalist Kaia Kanepi on Court 17.
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