Malaysia's Soniia Cheah failed to ride on the momentum after taking the first game 21-17 but lost the next two 12-21, 15-21 to Japan's former world champion Nozomi Okuhara in the second round in the Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan, China on Thursday.
"I had a good start…the first time I had taken a game off her in my three meetings. In my previous two meetings I lost in straight games," said a disappointed Soniia after her defeat.
The Malaysian lost to Okuhara in the Sudirman Cup in Gold Coast and in the Hong Kong Open in her previous two encounters.
"I will beat her the next time," said Soniia who next heads to New Zealand Open next week – the first tournament that offers Olympics ranking points.
In the first round match on Wednesday, Soniia defeated Indonesia's Fitriani Fitriani 21-12, 21-10 while Okuhara stopped Korea's Kim Hyo Min 21-12, 21-17.
Meanwhile, in the battle of former world junior champions, top seed Chen Yufei of China needed three games to overcome Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska 15-21, 21-14, 21-15 for a place in the last eight.
Yufei, the reigning All-England champion will face Japan's Aya Ohori who downed Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong China also in a three-game affair – prevailing 19-21, 21-11, 21-16 in 65 minutes.
India will have both their players – fourth seed P.V. Sindhu and seventh seed Saina Nehwal – in the quarter-finals.
Sindhu defeated Indonesia's Choirunnisa Choirunnisa 21-15, 21-19 while Nehwal was too strong for Korea's Kim Ga Eun 21-13, 21-13.
In the quarter-finals, Sindhu is up against Japan's third seed Akane Yamaguchi who needed three-games to beat Singapore's Yeo Jia Min 21-18, 8-21, 21-17.
Sindhu has a Chinese hurdle in Cai Yanyan for a place in the semi-finals. Yanyan strolled past Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong China 21-9, 21-15 in 29 minutes.