Laura Robson briefly tested world number five Elena Dementieva before conceding the opening rubber of Great Britain's crucial tie with Russia 6-4 6-0 at the Hopman Cup.
The 15-year-old Robson matched her more-fancied rival in the opening set and twice broke back to have the set tied at 4-4.
But from there the 28-year-old Russian showed the form that has helped her capture 14 career titles as she peeled off the next eight games to win the match in just over an hour.
The final set lasted just 19 minutes as Robson faded, but by then the teen had done enough to earn the praise of her Russian rival.
"She's playing extremely well for a 15-year-old," Dementieva said afterwards.
"She hits the ball very hard and plays a lot of balls. I was very impressed with her."
Robson's loss means Andy Murray must now defeat Igor Andreev to keep Great Britain on course to reach Saturday's final against Spain.
Both players struggled to hold serve in an evenly-matched opening set.
Robson lost her very first service but Dementieva, who has struggled on serve all week, handed back the advantage with a double fault to level the set at 2-2.
The next game went to four deuces before Robson conceded another break.
The teen has, however, shown considerable resolve this week and matched Dementieva's groundstrokes before forcing a second break to make it 4-4.
But from there the Russian took control and for the third time immediately broke back before serving out the set in 47 minutes.
The second set was a far less competitive affair with Dementieva bossing her young rival from the back of the court.
Robson had faded badly in her opening loss to Yaroslava Shvedova, when she also lost the final set 6-0, and while that scoreline was repeated to suffer a third consecutive defeat there has been enough to suggest this week the young Briton can live up to the expectations already heaped on her at a tender age.
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