As if Sacha Jones' move to Australia wasn't dramatic enough, the New Zealander battled through the pain of a wrist injury before her three-set defeat to Elena Baltacha in the ASB Classic in Auckland tonight.
The New Zealand No2, a wild card, lost 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to Great Britain's Baltacha and is now off to the Lucky Country in search of better funding and opportunities.
The result reads "defeat'' but Jones battled hard throughout the match which lasted for two hours and 11 minutes and will feel she sent a message or two to those who have criticised her move to Australia which she qualifies for through her father.
It could be the last time Jones will play in New Zealand as she probably won't get another wild card for this tournament and will need to qualify through her ranking.
The world No 274 wasn't expected to seriously challenge Baltacha, who has a world ranking of 51, but she made the Brit look a little ordinary in the second set, which she led 5-1 before faltering and then finally getting over the line.
She broke Baltacha twice before losing three games in a row, with Baltacha providing a helping hand in the clincher when double faulting.
Baltacha dominated the third set but Jones fought back to 4-3 before being forced to take a medical break for cramp in her right wrist. In the final game she could hardly serve for the last two points.
"Initially I thought I strained a muscle but it was cramp,'' she said.
"I couldn't open my thumb away from my hand and change my grip so it was incredibly frustrating timing.
"It was quite distracting mentally.''
Baltacha was apologetic afterwards.
"Sorry to take out the local guy, sorry,'' she told the crowd via a Sky TV interviewer.
Jones hasn't got the strongest backhand in the world but her forehand down the line can be devastating and she will no doubt improve in Australia, where she will just sneak inside the top-10-ranked women.
The 21-year-old looked rusty in the warm up but started reasonably well, easily holding her own serve against Baltacha.
She said she was very nervous throughout the first set and only came into her own in the second.
But at least she didn't embarrass herself on Centre Court. That was achieved, however, by an individual among a trio of dancers immediately before her match.
The young man attempted a somersault over the net with the help of a mini trampoline but didn't count on equipment failure - a leg gave way - and he landed flat on his back. To his credit, he continued for the rest of the song.
Jones played well at times, though she seemed a little unsure of herself, as did the crowd who were a little muted in their support of the Kiwi-turned-Aussie.
It is likely to bring to an end an unhappy history at this tournament. Jones was due to compete in the tournament in 2010 but withdrew due to an abdominal injury. She was beaten in the first round last year by Svetlana Kuznetsova.
She felt the crowd was supportive and has no regrets about moving to a new base in Melbourne where she would "follow her dream''.
Baltacha will play fourth-seed Flavia Pennetta, of Italy, in the next round.
