Emma Raducanu's preparations for the Australian Open have taken a worrying turn after she fell to a surprise quarter-final defeat at the Hobart International.
The British number one, who was top seed at the WTA 250 event, lost 6-2, 6-4 to Australia's Taylah Preston, ranked just 217th in the world.
It's a concerning result for the 23-year-old, who now heads to Melbourne with only a single victory since September.
That lone win came against Camila Osorio in the opening round at Hobart, a match stretched over two days due to rain.
Emma Raducanu suffered defeat in the quarter-final of the Hobart International
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Raducanu's serving proved particularly troublesome against the powerful Preston.
She committed four double faults during the match and managed to hold serve in just three of her nine service games.
The contest was interrupted by rain after only three games, and when play resumed, Raducanu's game was riddled with errors.
Her coach Francisco Roig could be heard urging her to "let it rip" and "don't be static" as she slipped to 4-2 down in the first set.
Despite building a 3-1 advantage in the second set, she couldn't maintain her momentum against the hard-hitting 20-year-old Australian.
The British number one had won against Camila Osorio in the opening round at Hobart
| GETTYRaducanu dropped three service games in succession to hand Preston the victory in just 85 minutes.
The 2021 US Open champion now turns her attention to Melbourne Park, where she'll be the 28th seed when the main draw gets underway on Sunday.
Raducanu faces Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew in her opening match, with Anastasia Potapova or Suzan Lamens potentially waiting in round two.
Should she progress, a daunting third-round encounter with world number one Aryna Sabalenka could be on the cards.
The pair met at the same stage of Wimbledon last year, where Raducanu pushed the two-time Australian Open champion hard before eventually going down 7-6 (6), 6-4 in a competitive battle.
Emma Raducanu's win over Camila Osorio happened over two days after her match was halted due to rain
| GETTYFormer British number one Tim Henman believes Raducanu has the talent to make an impact in Melbourne, despite her recent struggles.
Speaking to TNT Sports before the draw was made, Henman acknowledged her foot problems but remained optimistic about her prospects.
"To me, there's no question about her tennis ability," he said. "So if she builds her fitness, I would like to see her in the second week of the Australian Open. I think that's realistic."
Henman added that reaching the last 16 would represent an excellent start to 2026 for the former US Open champion.