British number two Jodie Burrage missed out on a second WTA quarter-final in gut-wrenching circumstances as she lost to Tamara Korpatsch in the second round of the Transylvania Open in Romania.
The 24-year-old was out to avenge her Ningbo exit to the German last month and took a 5-1 lead in the third-set tie-breaker, but a sensational Korpatsch fightback saw the world number 105 triumph 2-6 6-2 7-6[5].
Despite claiming the first break of the match in only the second game, Korpatsch could not keep the momentum going against a fired-up Burrage, who responded with a remarkable six-game winning streak to take the opener.
However, the Briton's powers waned in the second set, as Korpatsch powered her way to a 5-1 lead thanks to a spate of venomous groundstrokes, although she was broken while serving for the set before immediately returning the favour.
The pair traded a break apiece in the third set before an error-strewn eighth game from Burrage, who double-faulted and sent a mishit drop shot attempt into the net to give Korpatsch the chance to serve out the match.
The German failed to hold her nerve, though, double-faulting to bring up three break-back points for Burrage, who stayed alive with a brilliant backhand and broke again in the 11th game during a timely purple patch.
In a third set full of twists and turns, though, Burrage was broken to love as Korpatsch forced a tie-breaker, but an immediate double fault from the German set the tone as Burrage won five of the first six points.
However, the eighth seed was left to rue a devastating collapse, as Korpatsch rose from the ashes to bring up her first match point, which she converted as Burrage skewed a forehand wide, and the German's reward will be a quarter-final tie with Ukraine's Daria Snigur.
Ben Knapton
