English international Lucie Ahl is back in Dublin intent on retaining her Irish Open championship at Fitzwilliam, which starts today.

While Goran Ivanisevic was the one to look out for at the same venue just over a week ago, the popular Ahl is set to provide her crowd-pleasing bouncy form on her way to a possible third title.

The qualifying rounds have already given a fair indication of high standards, so much so that the Irish wild-card entries at this stage have failed to emerge from the first round, never mind reach the main draw.

Ireland's highest-ranked player Yvonne Doyle (257) is seeded to reach the semi-finals.

Barring a recurrence of a shoulder injury which forced her out of a $50,000 event in the US recently, she is capable of reaching her immediate target. Seeded at number two is Hungary's Zsofia Gubacsi and Australian Trudi Musgrave is seeded third.

Musgrave reached the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon mixed doubles this year.

An Irish girl with Grand Slam notions is Claire Curran, who has set her sights on the US doubles at Flushing Meadow, having gained automatic entry following her unique achievement on the US Collegiate scene.

Elsa O'Riain, the Cork teenager and recent winner of the Irish Close title, joins her Federation Cup team-mates Kelly Liggan, Karen Nugent and Gina Niland to strengthen the Irish challenge.

Liggan, seeded sixth, was luckiest of the Irish in the draw for today's first round. She meets Russia's Natalia Egorova (431).

Nugent meets Italian Roberta Vinci, Niland goes on against Adrienn Hegedus, Doyle against Maria Wolfbrandt (Sweden) and Elsa O'Ria is in against Mara Santangelo (Italy). Play starts at 11.0 a.m..