Local favorite and fifth seed Ai Sugiyama was one of two major casualties of the second round of singles at the Toyota Princess Cup at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum on Thursday, after crashing out to unseeded Australian Nicole Pratt 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Sugiyama crumbled in front of an anxious home crowd, failing to stamp her authority on a match she was expected to win.
"Nicole controlled the pace of the game and didn't allow me to play my shots," explained Sugiyama. "She has a great forehand and she really came on strong in the third set."