JAMIE BAKER TO BE 100th BRITISH TITLE-WINNER OF 2009? (16.10.09)

It's been something of a fallow week (rare this year!) this week on the good news front; giving rise to the opportunity to conduct a re-count of British title-winners around the world on the senior ITF, WTA and ATP tours. Delighted to report we've found 5 laurel garlands which had been hiding in the furniture. So the next one will be #100! Jamie Baker's vacuuming of titles on the Far Eastern and Australian futures scene has helped the rush towards the century mark; and he's into the Port Pirie 15k semis...GET THE TON-UP, JAMIE!

[POSTSCRIPT: the extra titles were located thanks to this excellent source of info: www.britishtennis.net ; keep up the great work there, Steven!]

OR WILL IT BE JOSS RAE...OR JADE WINDLEY...OR BOTH?! (16.10.09)

It may yet be Joss Rae or Jade Windley, who are both through to the Mytilini ITF 10k singles semis, or both of them together, through as they are to the doubles final, who may pip Jamie Baker to the accolade of being the 100th British name alongside a senior title on the ITF, WTA and ATP tours...GET THE TON-UP SOMEONE!!

IT'LL BE #100 TOMORROW, FACT! (17.10.09)

Will it be Port Pirie or Mytilini? One, for sure, will be the venue for the 100th time that a British name will be written alongside a senior title this year. With the sun rising in Australia first, it'll be Jamie Baker if he wins his final (yes, he's through to yet another one!); if he doesn't it'll be either Joss Rae or Jade Windley who will be contending the final on the Greek island of Lesbos. 2009: A YEAR OF GREAT BRITISH TENNIS!!

BETTER MAKE THAT 101 THEN!! (18.10.09)

With Jamie's fantastic winning streak coming to an end in Australia, it fell to players in the European time zones to do the job of chalking up the 100th time a British name appears against a senior title on the ITF, WTA and ATP tours in 2009. Joss Rae it was who secured #100 in the Mytilini final; and then the cherry on the icing was provided by Alex Bogdanovic lifting the singles title at the 42,500 Euro ATP Challenger in Denmark. No time for resting on laurels of course; but deserves a quick YAY!!

KATIE O'BRIEN & ALEX BOGDANOVIC BOTH UP TO GB #2 (19.10.09)

The new world rankings issued today have changed the GB #2 singles in both ATP and WTA lists. Boggo's title in Denmark has him up 53 places to world #185, slipping past James Ward in the process. Katie's R1 win in Osaka has her up 2 to world #92, leapfrogging Bally who remains at #93. See Rankings News threads on the public forum.

GLASGOW: HEATHER WATSON BEATS TOP SEED IN QUALIES (20.10.09)

Great to report three British players made it through the final round of qualifying at the Womens ITF $25,000 tournament in Glasgow, the Main Draw for which gets under way tomorrow. Pride of place goes to reigning US Open junior champion Heather Watson who put out the German top seed 6-1 7-6(3); excellent result also for Amanda Elliott who beat the German 5th seed 6-0 in the third set; with Anna Smith also winning through as seeded. GOOD LUCK TOMORROW, EVERYONE!

LISA WHYBOURN'S GREAT RUN CONTINUES (21.10.09)

Lisa's superb run of form, which started at Shrewsbury and continued at Barnstaple, claimed another significant scalp in Glasgow today when she overturned a 321 rankings deficit to beat her Slovakian opponent 1-6 6-4 6-2 to set up a meeting in round 2 with GB #4 and world #153 Mel South, seeded 2 this week. See the Glasgow thread on the public forum for more details. EXCELLENT AGAIN, LISA!!

MEL SOUTH WINS; DAVID RICE WINS BIG!(22.10.09)

Mel resisted the fierce challenge presented today by fellow Brit Lisa Whybourn to earn the right to carry British hopes for the womens ITF singles title in Glasgow into the QFs whilst in the mens event sees three Britons into the last 8 with David Rice producing the performance of the day putting out the second seed. See the Glasgow thread on the public forum for more details. GREAT WORK DAVID!

MEL SOUTH & DAN EVANS MARCH ON IN GLASGOW ITFs (23.10.09)

Mel and Dan both won their singles QFs comfortably today to keep home hopes alive in both events whilst Mel is also through to the doubles final and in the mens event a home title winner is assured, and there may be two, with three of the four doubles finalists being British. So far there have been 101 British title-winners on the senior ITF, WTA and ATP tours in 2009. THAT'LL BE 102, AT LEAST, BY TOMORROW THEN!

GLASGOW TITLES FOR MEL SOUTH, CHRIS EATON & DOMINIC INGLOT(24.10.09)

There are now 104 instances of British names appearing alongside a title on the senior tours in 2009 (just 1 short of the total for the whole of 2008) with Mel South lifting the doubles with her Finnish partner at the $25,000 women's ITF and her fellow Britons Chris Eaton and Dominic Inglot taking the doubles at the $15,000 men's ITF. Mel could add to the total tomorrow in the singles final. See the Glasgow thread on the public forum. 3 CHEERS x 3!!

SKUPSKI & FLEMING CLAIM ANOTHER BIG TITLE (25.10.09)

Following close on the heels of their ATP250 title in Metz last month, Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming have today claimed another big title in France, this time a top level ATP Challenger in Orleans. They crushed their French opponents, Grosjean and Patience, 6-1 6-1 to earn 110 ranking points to close in on the world top 50. BRILLIANT WORK, FLEMSKI!!

NEW CAREER HIGHS FOR KEN SKUPSKI & COLIN FLEMING (26.10.09)

Today's new ATP doubles rankings list has Flemski getting ever deeper into the world top 100 on the back of their title win in Orleans yesterday with new career highs: #66 for Ken and #67 for Colin. New CHs also for a further shedload of British players; see the Rankings News (Men) thread on the public forum. CONGRATULATIONS FLEMSKI & ALL GREAT BRITISH MEN ACHIEVERS!!

NEW CAREER HIGHS FOR ELENA BALTACHA & KATIE O'BRIEN (26.10.09)

Today's new WTA singles rankings list has Bally and Katie edging ever deeper into the world top 100 with new career highs: #86 for Bally and #91 for Katie. New CHs also for a further shedload of British players (sound familiar?!); including our Emily's new doubles CH; see the Rankings News (Women) thread on the public forum. CONGRATULATIONS TO BALLY, KATIE & ALL GREAT BRITISH WOMEN ACHIEVERS!!

FLEMSKI DRAW 3rd SEEDS IN St PETERSBURG OPENER (27.10.09)

Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming, following their first ATP250 title in France last month, are looking to pick up another in Russia this week but it looks like they are going to have to do it the hard way. They face the third seeds in round one and potentially the top seeds in the semis. Meantime, GB #1 doubles Ross Hutchins is in France this week, at the ATP250 in Lyons. GOOD LUCK, GUYS!

St PETERSBURG: FLEMSKI BANDWAGON KEEPS ROLLING! (28.10.09)

Unfortunately, Ross Hutchins went down at the ATP250 in Lyons today; but the pretenders to his GB #1 doubles crown, Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming, today continued their amazingly successful year by putting out the third seeds in the first round of the St Petersburg ATP250 by a nailbiting 7-6(5) 3-6 10-7; and with the top seeds also going down today the path to the final is looking theoretically easier. GO, FLEMSKI!!

MARCUS WILLIS SHINES IN CARDIFF (29.10.09)

Whilst it's great to be able to report another win for Flemski, 7-6(4) 6-4 in their ATP250 QF, it's also great to acknowledge a superb effort by one of the ITF tour footsoldiers. At the $15,000 event in Cardiff, Marcus Willis today won through to the semis having already pit out the 3rd seed in R2; and with Dan Evans in the other half, an all-British final remains possible. See the Cardiff thread on the public forum. SHINE ON, MARCUS!

RAM & ERLICH NEXT UP FOR FLEMSKI (30.10.09)

Flemski are going to have to be on Bryan beating form in the semis at the ATP250 in St Petersburg, it seems. Ram, world #10, and Erlich, former world #5 albeit world #268 currently, will provide a very stern test belying their unseeded status. GOOD LUCK AGAIN, GUYS!

WORLD CLASS SHOW BY FLEMSKI (AGAIN!) (31.10.09)

They only went and did it! Proving that beating the Bryans at Queens Club was no fluke, Flemski downed world class opposition, Ram & Erlich of Israel, today 10-6 in the match tiebreaker. Brilliant! Chardy and Gasquet of France in the final tomorrow. LIFT THE TITLE, FLEMSKI!!

FLEMSKI LIFT THE St PETERSBURG TITLE (01.11.09)

Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming produced another world class display today, coming back from dropping the first set, hanging tough against a ferocious serving display by their French opponents to take the second 7-5 and then storming the match tiebreaker 10-4, to land their second ATP tour level title in just over a month. HAIL FLEMSKI, EXPONENTS OF GREAT BRITISH TENNIS!!

FLEMSKI INTO WORLD TOP 50 (IN PART ANYWAY!) (02.11.09)

Another Monday, another surge up the world doubles rankings for Ken Skupski (up 16 to world #50) and Colin Fleming (up 14 to world #53) thanks to their ATP250 title triumph in St Petersburg yesterday and now breathing down the neck of Ross Hutchins (world #47) in the GB pecking order. GREAT WORK, GUYS!