Britain's national coach, Alan Jones, was only too glad to postpone his flight home last night with unfinished business remaining in the Rover-sponsored Irish
Open Women's championship at Riverview.
One of his charges, Lorna Woodroffe, had just surpassed expectations by reaching her first semi-final in a $25,000 event. She faces Austria's Patricia
Wartusch today.
Woodroffe, ranked number three in Britain, was pleased with her 6-4, 6-4 win over the talented Czech, Eva Krejcova, even if the blustery conditions posed some threat for her serve, her biggest weapon.
Krejcova, who dropped serve in the first set and twice in the second, said it was the main difference between victory and defeat. The Czech struggled to hold serve - it took 18 points for her to do so in the seventh game of the second set.
"When Lorna came to my door step 18 months ago she was 580 on the world rankings. Now she is an improving 170 and has gone from being 20th in Britain to third," said Jones. "Today is the best I have ever seen her play given the conditions."
Jones, a nephew of Spurs and England international footballer Les Bennett
Jones, was Jo Durie's coach when she was fifth in the world. Now they work together with the national squad.
Why, then, does an a Wimbledon-funded, cash-rich association like the LTA
fail to produce more and better players? "You cannot buy success but you can buy structures to help success come about," he says.
He believes that not one player in Britain over the past 20 years has failed to achieve full potential. They have gone as far as their talents would allow, he contends.
Wartusch was pleased to beat off a worthy and stubborn challenge by Mareze
Joubert 6-4 6-4.
The biggest regrets of the quarter-finals were those of Slovakian Suzana
Valekova (18), who was broken to love by South African Surina de Beer when serving for the match in the second set.
She lost the set 8-6 on the tie break and her confidence suffered in the third to lead to a 1-6, 7-6, 63 defeat.
"I never reached this far before and maybe I was nervous when I got so close.
My chance was gone before I could realise it after I lost the first point, serving for the match."
De Beer meets the strongly fancied German Fruzsina Siklosi, a winner over the temperamental Tzipora Obziler from Israel 7-6, 6-2.
Thomas Muster and Alex Corretja suffered reverses on their favourite clay surface yesterday when they were ousted in the third round of the Generali
Open.Top seed Muser, the clay court king when he had a long series of wins in
1995 including the French Open title, was beaten on Austrian home soil by Czech
Slava Dosedel 2-6 6-3 6-4.Third seed Corretja lost to unfancied Spanish compatriot Galo Blanco 7-6 (7-4) 7-5.
