Jennifer Capriati's build-up to the defence of her Australian Open suffered a major blow today when she was knocked out of the Sydney International by Alexandra Stevenson.
The American failed to show any of the form that saw her win last year's Australian and French Open titles as she crashed to a 7-6 3-6 6-4 defeat.
The loss means Capriati will go into next week's Australian Open - as the number one seed - with only one match under her belt this year.
Capriati was the only seeded woman who failed to reach the quarter-finals in Sydney, a tournament she won in 1993, although Belgium's Kim Clijsters had a scare in her second round match with Italian Silvia Farina Elia.
Third seed Clijsters lost the first set in a tiebreak and was down 2-0 in the second before clawing her way back to win 6-7 6-4 6-1.
Clijsters will play her Fed Cup partner Justine Henin in the quarter-finals after the Wimbledon finalist thrashed Spanish veteran Conchita Martinez 6-0 6-3.
Seventh seed Sandrine Testud beat Henrieta Nagyova 6-1 6-2 and American eighth seed Meghann Shaughnessy defeated Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4 6-1.
