Susan Egelstaff has lost the opportunity to fight for a medal in the Olympic badminton tournament after losing 2-1 to Japan's Sayaka Sato.
Sato, who is ranked 16 in the world, started better on the court by comitting a number of spinning net shots, which Egelstaff failed to overcome by hitting shots too hard out of the boundaries.
The Brit did, however, launch a comeback after the mid-game interval following a decisive counter attack to take the score level at 7-7 and then went on to take the lead for the first time in the contest at 10-7.
Egelstaff began to dip slightly as her Japanese opponent found her feet to put pressure on the Brit by edging closer at 12-15 in the first set after slamming her shot into the net, which trickled over and caught Egelstaff unawares.
Despite a brief stumble, Egelstaff managed to up her game and snatch the first set 18-21.
Sato recovered well in the second set and managed to take an 11-6 lead at the mid-game interval, which proved vital as she went on to level the overall scoreline with a 21-16 triumph.
The deciding set proved to be the undoing of Egelstaff, who looked fatigue towards the closing stages, which allowed Sayake to wrap up the contest 21-12.
Danielle Joynson
