Naomi Osaka has crashed out of the first round at Wimbledon after a shock defeat to Yulia Putintseva.
The world number two was edged out in the first-set tiebreak and never recovered, suffering a double break in the second set before going down 7-6, 6-2.
It comes just a month after the Japanese star lost her status as world number one following Ashleigh Barty's victory at the French Open.
The 21-year-old had every right to fear her opponent heading into the first round match, having lost to Putintseva in Birmingham only two weeks ago.
And the Kazakh proved to be a thorn in the side yet again as the pair went hammer and tongs throughout the first set.
In Pictures | Wimbledon 2019
Finally, they arrived a tiebreak and Osaka looked in control at 4-2 up. That was until the errors started to creep in on her backhand, allowing Putintseva to win four points in a row and eventually, win the tiebreak 7-4.
Osaka had never won a set against Putintseva in her career and that would have to change if she was to produce a turnaround.
She took things up a notch in the second set before the cursed backhand proved to be her undoing again and Putintseva won a crucial break in the fifth game.
Armed with a break point, Osaka volleyed wide when she had been so good at the net throughout the match and that proved crucial, as Putintseva held at 4-2.
A double break soon followed and Osaka looked defeated.
Staring down the barrel at 5-2 down, Osaka could only curse the backhand that had let her down time and time again as she sliced into the net. A first-round defeat on Centre Court that she will learn from.
