Fallon Sherrock fell at the first hurdle at the 2024 PDC World Championship as she was knocked out by Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena.
Sherrock, 29, was beaten 3-1 in round one despite taking the first set in front of a raucous crowd.
Wattimena missed match darts to allow Sherrock an opening, but the Englishwoman failed to capitalise and could not force a deciding set.
The 35-year-old Wattimena will face Germany’s Martin Schindler next.
“I’m gutted with the result,” said Sherrock. “I had spells when I played well tonight but I missed chances at key moments and they cost me.
“Full credit to Jermaine, he was the better player on the night and he punished me when I missed chances.”
Also on Sunday, tournament favourite Luke Humphries, 28, secured a straight-set victory against former pairs partner Lee Evans in round two.
Third seed Humphries won 3-0 after 35-year-old Evans was unable to seal the third set, missing opportunities with a 2-0 advantage.
“Not at my best there but the most important thing was it felt good,” Humphries told Sky Sports.
He and Michael van Gerwen are widely rated the two frontrunners for the title.
“I’ve said in previous interviews, just get through the first game,” Humphries added. “They’re always the toughest. I won’t play like that in the next round.”
While Humphries marched on, Sherrock was left to consider what might have been.
Sherrock made history in 2019 as the first female player to win a match at the PDC World Championship.
But the turning point on Sunday came in the third set when Sherrock bust when aiming for double eight, to the shock of fans packed inside Alexandra Palace.
World number 51 Wattimena then stepped up and produced a superb 110 checkout to take the leg and punish the home favourite.
Sherrock finished with an 87.32 average compared to Wattimena’s 90.99.
“It was a really high-pressure game,” said Wattimena. “I feel good now. It was hard fought to win against her.”