British duo Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage both suffered disheartening first-round exits at the Pan Pacific Open and Ningbo Open respectively.
Dart's run in the Pan Pacific Open came to a swift end in a 3-6 6-7[4] loss to Veronika Kudermetova, while Burrage was left to rue a painful collapse in a 2-6 6-7[1] loss to Tamara Korpatsch in China.
As was the case in Guangzhou last week, Dart clinched back-to-back qualifying wins to set up a clash with Russia's Kudermetova, whom she had already lost to three times in three previous WTA Tour meetings.
The eighth seed had never dropped a set against the British qualifier, and her dominance would not wane on Tuesday, as she took one hour and 46 minutes to seal a spot in the second round at Dart's expense.
Dart was broken in her opening service game before responding immediately, but she failed to take a game point in the eighth as Kudermetova broke again for a 5-3 lead, eventually seeing out a hold to 15 to take the first set.
Only 36% of Dart's first serves found the mark in the opening set, and the 27-year-old also lamented another five double faults in the second set, where she also failed to build on an early break to love for a 2-0 lead.
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Dart let out an almighty roar of frustration as she ceded the first match point to Kudermetova in the tie-breaker, and she found the net one final time to send the Russian through to a second-round meeting with the USA's Kayla Day.
Over at the Ningbo Open, Dart's compatriot Burrage sought to avoid a second successive first-round exit this month, having been defeated by Magda Linette in her Guangzhou opener last week.
The 24-year-old was facing world number 107 Korpatsch for the first time at the top level, but a second-set capitulation saw her bow out with one hour and 38 minutes on the clock.
Burrage - who came through qualifying - got off to a dream start with a break in the opening game of the match, but she lost six of the next seven games to her vengeful German opponent, despite saving as many as six break points.
Three times Burrage went a break up in the second set, and three times she was pegged back - including at 5-4 and 6-5 while she was attempting to serve for a decider - and the wasteful Brit fell 6-0 down in the tie-breaker after appearing to tweak a muscle in her left leg while winding up for a backhand.
Burrage nevertheless managed to save one match point on serve, but it proved to be a mere consolation for the world number 91, who fired wide of the sideline on the following point to succumb to a deflating defeat.
Korpatsch could be rewarded for her endeavours with a second-round tie against top seed Ons Jabeur, who meets France's Diane Parry later on Tuesday.
Ben Knapton
