The New Zealand number one was ousted from the second round of the Australian Open by Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas 6-4, 6-0 in only 74 minutes.
Late at night she and partner Jie Zheng lost their doubles encounter to cap a day to forget. The 10th seeds went down 6-3 6-3 to French duo Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet.
The doubles match started about 6.30pm after play was delayed due to excessive heat. It finished about 10.30pm after lightning and rain delayed it further.
Erakovic summed up the conditions in Melbourne with one simple quote. "It's just the weirdest weather ever," she said.
Her first match yesterday was a massive opportunity missed.
Diyas is ranked 152 in the world, 100 places lower than the Kiwi, and came through qualifying. It was Diyas' first appearance at a grand slam tournament and the 20-year-old has spent most of her career playing in the second-tier ITF circuit after an unspectacular junior career.
Erakovic might never have a better chance to progress to the third round of the Australia Open. Defeat was made worse by the fact she toppled 21st seed Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 7-6 in the first road.
The 25-year-old labelled that performance her best in Melbourne. That it was followed quickly by one of her worst will be particularly disappointing - one of her goals for 2014 was to be more consistent.
The temperature when she started her match against Diyas on court 13 was 39C. An hour later it had risen to 41C.
The heat appeared to affect Erakovic. She seemed unstable on her feet at times and her mother left the stands midway through the match to seek shade.
Diyas also played near the top of her game, hitting a high number of winners - 27 - off forehand and backhand and often clipping the line.
The first set was close before Erakovic was broken twice in two weak service games - she broke back immediately after the first - but Erakovic unravelled in the second set without winning a game.
She struggled with her serve, getting only 50 per cent of her first serves in, and converted only one of 10 break point opportunities.
"It's the toughest, longest day ever that I've had at a Grand Slam I would say," she said.
"It started at 7am and now finished at 10.30pm. In the singles it was a tough one, I came out a bit nervous and a bit tight. I wasn't connecting with my shots.
"To be honest I was really struggling with the heat after a long rally. It was tough, but hats off to her she looked like she was cruising. She made some pretty good shots and coped with the heat. There was not much I could do about it."
Erakovic believed rules around delays for excessive heat could be simplified.
"You should have seen the locker room after the first couple of matches. It wasn't just me. Girls were just being iced down because they were just in a haze. They (tournament organisers) really have to set a rule ... [that] it's at somebody's discretion to risk your health isn't that great."
Yesterday's results continued a poor start to 2014.
Erakovic was badly out of touch against Lauren Davis in the first round at the ASB Classic, afterwards admitting she struggled with the pressure of playing in Auckland, and was also ousted in the first round in Hobart, by Kirsten Flipkens. She also lost first round doubles matches at both tournaments.
She will return home briefly before likely playing at the Paris Indoor tournament, then in the Fed Cup for New Zealand before tournaments in the Middle East.
Fellow Kiwi Michael Venus and Indian partner Yuki Bhambri today take on 10th seeds Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands and Romania's Horia Tecau for a place in the third round of the men's doubles.
- Michael Brown and Dave Worsley
