Shown the exit door before the show has begun.
This was the gloomy scenario for Rik De Voest, Izak van der Merwe and Raven Klaasen in the second qualifying round of the men's singles at the United States Open, with the entire South African contingent eliminated before the tournament proper gets underway at Flushing Meadows on Monday.
Klaasen was beaten 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 by Michael Yani of the United States after coming within a point of a straight-set victory.
Van der Merwe was rocked out of his stride by powerhouse Croatian Roko Karanusic and lost 6-3 6-3; and an excruciatingly unlucky De Voest was barely shaded by 22 year-old Australian prospect Carsten Ball. De Voest went down 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7-5) in a see-sawing struggle that lasted almost three hours.
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And prior to the South African Davis Cup contingent being blown out in the second qualifying round, top-ranked South African Kevin Anderson, who controversially made himself unavailable for the vital World Group play-off against India at the Ellis Park Indoor Arena next month, had already gone down in the opening qualifying round.
"Obviously it is a big disappointment," said South African Davis Cup captain John-Laffnie de Jager, who is in New York with the South African contingent. "Our players are certainly competitive in the very tough international circuit, but are being shaded too often at the final hurdle of a match and this is a worry."
De Jager, however, remained upbeat about South Africa qualifying for next year's elite Davis Cup World Group for the first time in almost a decade.
"Our players have demonstrated forcibly during the past few years they are able to raise their level while representing their country," said the South African captain, "and playing India on home courts is a distinct advantage."
But emphasising that the Ellis Park tie could be a lot tougher than many had initially expected is the fact that Indian number one Somdev Devvarman has gone one better than the South Africans at the United States Open - earning a place in the final qualifying round with a 6-3 6-7 6-3 win over the Netherland's Igor Sijsling. - Sapa
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