Kurumi Nara crashed out in the first round of the Pan Pacific Open on Tuesday in a grueling three-set match against eighth-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro.
It was a bad day all round for the host nation as 43-year-old veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm also made an early exit with a defeat against Belarusian Victoria Azarenka.
Suarez Navarro broke Nara's serve to open their match at Ariake Colosseum and survived enough rallies to advance to the second round with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 victory.