Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter's promising doubles partnership came to an abrupt halt at the west London grass court tournament at Queen's Club.
The British pair fell 6-2, 7-5 to top seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Erin Routliffe.
The Billie Jean King Cup teammates had entered the competition seeking valuable grass court match practice.
Despite securing Raducanu's maiden doubles victory in the opening round on Monday, they found themselves thoroughly outclassed by the tournament's number one seeds.
Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter's lack of doubles experience shone through on Wednesday at Queen's Club
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The straight-sets defeat marked a stark contrast to their entertaining first-round triumph, with the home favourites unable to match their opponents' superior experience and coordination.
The match exposed a glaring disparity in doubles expertise between the two pairings.
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Gone were the cheerful exchanges and baseline banter that characterised the Britons' first-round victory, replaced by a notable absence of on-court communication.
A comical collision of racquets in the opening game epitomised their coordination struggles.
Whilst Raducanu and Boulter maintained morale through high-fives between points, their opponents operated as a seamless unit.
New Zealand's Routliffe proved particularly dominant at the net, repeatedly neutralising Raducanu's increasingly desperate forehand attempts.
The 2021 US Open champion's shoulders visibly sagged when the final winner of the opening set flew past her down the doubles alley.
Raducanu's serve faltered under pressure at 5-2 in the first set, with two double faults effectively gifting their opponents set point.
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Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter suffered a straight sets defeat to top seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Erin Routliffe
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Boulter could only watch helplessly from the net as Kichenok's return proved unreachable.
The second set initially followed a similar pattern, with the top seeds breaking Boulter early.
However, the British duo demonstrated admirable resilience, breaking back at 4-2 and pushing their opponents to 5-5.
Boulter held serve to love in an impressive display, but Raducanu couldn't force a deciding tiebreak.
The top seeds secured victory with a final break, leaving the packed British crowd disappointed at losing their home favourites from the doubles draw.
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Fans were crammed into Court One to watch Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter
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Despite the defeat, there were encouraging signs for British tennis. Neither player will harbour significant regrets, having performed creditably against formidable opposition.
Their focus will likely shift to upcoming singles matches later this week. More importantly, Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong gained valuable insight into a viable doubles combination for the quarter-finals in Japan later this year.
The tournament organisers face the greatest disappointment, losing their most recognisable remaining doubles participants.
The British crowd, who had packed Court One to support their home-grown talents, witnessed another promising partnership that could serve the nation well in future team competitions.
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