Naomi Broady has suffered defeat to Sloane Stephens in the quarter-finals of the ASB Classic in Auckland.
The 25-year-old had won three qualifying matches and defeated former world number one Ana Ivanovic on the way to the last eight, but she failed to take her opportunities against the American.
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The British number three missed out on a set point during a first-set tie-break, before she let slip a break advantage in the second and saw Stephens claim a 7-6 6-3 victory.
Despite the setback, Broady will achieve a career-high world ranking when the standings are updated on Monday, with the Stockport player expected to be no lower than 114th, two places higher than her previous best of 116.
