SUTTON: ANNA SMITH DOWNS 2nd SEED (03.02.10)

Anna Smith's excellent start to the year just got even better today when she overcame the second seed in the first round singles of the $25,000 ITF womens tournament being held in Sutton, Surrey. Zuzana Zucova (SVK) is at a new Career High world #134 this week but Anna was not going to let a 272 rankings deficit deter her! See the Sutton thread on the public forum for more. SUPERB, ANNA!

SUTTON: HEATHER WATSON BEATS 6th SEED (04.02.10)

Four excellent results for the British contingent today at the $25,000 ITF tournament at Sutton, Surrey including Heather Watson bouncing back from her disappointment at the Australian Open juniors with a superb 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3 victory over 6th seed Gronert of Germany in the second round of the singles. See the Sutton thread on the public forum for more. WONDERFUL STUFF, HEATHER!

TEMPORARY FAULT NOW RESOLVED (05.03.10)

Sad to report that daily updates since 4th February have been lost permanently into cyberspace; some snippets may be still found in caches around the web; maybe!

The main highlights of the last month previosuly discussed in much greater depth have been GB #1 Elena Baltacha lifting the biggest title of her career, the $100k ITF singles in Midland, Michigan, USA and achieving successive big new career high singles rankings to her current world #64 on the back of Midland and the following week reaching the QFs of the WTA International in Memphis; former GB #1 Anne Keothavong returning to the matchcourt after 6 months sidelined because of injury and in only her 3rd week back also reaching the QFs in Memphis to successfully defend the 130 ranking points she earnt for doing the same in 2009; and Olivia Scarfi also returning to the matchcourt after injury problems lasting nearly 18 months in her case for the Swansea leg of the Aegon British Tour where she met Emily Webley-Smith in the semis. A poignant moment for us here at AGBT! Emily won 6-3 6-3 and went on to beat Amanda Elliott in the final making it two tournament wins on the trot after beating Jade Curtis in the Corby final the previous week.

Normal service can now be resumed...

DAVIS CUP: FLEMSKI PUT GREAT BRITAIN IN FRONT IN VILNIUS (06.03.10)

With Great Britain's Davis Cup tie against Lithuania level at 1-1 after the first day (James Ward having chalked up a straight sets win on day 1 but Dan Evans going down in 5) the stage was set for Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming to be given their chance to show their mettle on behalf of their country as an established doubles team. They duly did the business 6-0 6-7(2) 7-5 6-3. Just one singles win needed tomorrow, then! GOOD WORK, FLEMSKI!

DAVIS CUP: OH NO! (07.03.10)

No disguising that today's singles losses, making the overall result 3-2 to Lithuania, represents a bad moment in GBR's tennis fortunes. Fingers crossed for a better outcome in July when the losers of the relegation play-off go down to the bottom division of the Davis Cup.

INDIAN WELLS: MURRAY, KEOTHAVONG & BALTACHA IN ACTION (08.03.10)

The biggest tournament of the year to date excluding the Australian Open gets under way in Indian Wells, California, USA today when GB #1 Elena Baltacha (top qseed) starts her attempt to qualify for this year's first WTA Premier Mandatory tournament to join former GB #1 Anne Keothavong in the Main Draw. Annie has opted to make use of her Protected Ranking status for this one. World #4 Andy Murray is straight into the MD of the concurrent first ATP1000 of the year with the points for being runner-up last year to defend. GO, BRITS!

[POSTSCRIPT: Sarah Borwell (with Raquel Kops-Jones) and Ross Hutchins, playing with Andy Murray, are also in action here in the doubles]

INDIAN WELLS: ELENA BALTACHA WINS IN Q1 (09.03.10)

Top seed in the qualifiers for the WTA Premier Mandatory in Indian Wells, GB #1 Elena Baltacha was given a good work-out by 18 year old American wild card Julia Boserup but Bally went through 2-6 6-4 6-4 to face world #109 Ekaterina Bychkova (RUS) in Q2. KEEP GOING BALLY!

USA: WINS FOR BALTACHA, STOOP & WATSON (10.03.10)

GB #1 Elena Baltacha duly booked her place in the Indian Wells MD with a 6-3 6-4 win in Q2 over Bychkova and next up is American wild card Alexa Glatch on the main stadium court. Meanwhile over in Florida at the Clearwater $25k ITF, reigning US Open junior champion Heather Watson continued her recent trend of beating senior ranking top 200 players with a win in 3 sets over Tatishvili (GEO) ranked 172 and Georgie Stoop joined her in round 2 with a 3 set win over American Julie Ditty. EXCELLENT, GIRLS!

INDIAN WELLS: ANOTHER WIN FOR ELENA BALTACHA (11.03.10)

Anne Keothavong, still early in her comeback from long term injury, put in a gutsy display before losing her R1 to the world #70 in 3 sets; so it will be GB #1 Elena Baltacha who will carry the falg alone into R2 of the singles at the WTA Premier Mandatory in Indian Wells, California, USA. She beat Glatch in 3 sets in R1 to bring her ranking points haul here to 80 and her running total to over the 1000 mark. Cool! Next up for Bally is Na Li of China, world #10 and seeded 7 here. WELL DONE AND GOOD LUCK, BALLY!

DIJON: ANNA SMITH DOWNS TOP SEED (12.03.10)

Anna Smith, previously shaping up as more of a doubles specialist maybe, has had a superb start to 2010 in singles forcing her way into the GB top 10 and the trend continued today at the ITF $10k in Dijon, France. Facing a rankings deficit of 123 against Kuryanovich (BLR) ranked 225, Anna came up trumps 6-1 7-6(3) in the QFs and next up for Anna is 3rd seed Laurendon (FRA). YAY, ANNA!

INDIAN WELLS: ELENA BALTACHA BEATS WORLD #10 (13.03.10)

Elena Baltacha has had a terrific 2010 so far which currently sees her at #25 in the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships, the season-ending grand finale, and as world #65. It just got even better! Overnight she has pulled off the greatest coup of her career in R2 of the WTA Premier Mandatory in Indian Wells, California, USA. Up against Na Li of China, world #10, 7th seed here and #6 in the 2010 Race, Bally only went and downed her 7-6(6) 2-6 7-6(7). What a result! BALLY BRILLIANT!!

CLEARWATER: GEORGIE STOOP INTO SEMI-FINALS (14.03.10)

Two more wins yesterday made it 5 on the trot for GB #6 Georgie Stoop at the $25k ITF in Clearwater, Florida, USA. Having battled through qualifying and R1, and then a day being washed out by the weather, Georgie won her R2 and then had to re-take the matchcourt for her QF against Sophie Fergusson (AUS) ranked 159. Georgie recovered superbly from dropping the first set 3-6 to take the next two 6-2 6-1. Next up in the semis is 4th seed Zhang of China. GREAT STUFF, GEORGIE!

INDIAN WELLS: ANDY MURRAY EASES INTO ROUND 3 (15.03.10)

World #4 Andy Murray, in common with the other top seeds at the ATP1000 in Indian Wells, California, USA received a bye through the first round and has followed that up with a routine 6-4 6-4 win over Andrea Seppi of Italy in round 2. Next up is not 32nd seed Igor Andreev of Russia as scheduled but unseeded Michael Russell (USA) who defeated him in R2 over 3 sets. With Bally going down in R3 of the concurrent WTA event it's all up to Murray here now... GO, ANDY!

BATH: GREAT BRITISH TURN-OUT (16.03.10)

Bath plays host this week to both a mens ITF $15k and a womens ITF $10k with a big British turn-out in the qualifiers and Main Draws. Of particular interest in the mens R1, perhaps, is to see how 16 year old Oliver Golding, GB's #1 junior boy, having won through qualifying matches up against 7th seed Samuel Groth of Australia; and in the womens is whether Anna Smith meets again and beats again Kuryanovich of Belarus top seed here and last week in Dijon. GOOD LUCK, ALL BRITS!

INDIAN WELLS: ANDY MURRAY WINS IN STRAIGHT SETS AGAIN (17.03.10)

Andy Murray has followed up his R2 straight sets win at the ATP1000 in Indian Wells, California, USA with another albeit he had to win one more game to go through 6-3 7-5 against Russell(USA). Next up is world #40 Nicolas Almagro of Spain. GOOD WORK AGAIN, ANDY!

BATH: HOME HOPES WITH ANNA SMITH & ALEXANDER WARD (18.03.10)

GB #1 junior boy Oliver Golding put up a good showing against 7th seed Groth in R1 [going down 3&4] but it's 19 year old Alexander Ward who carries the flag solo into the singles SFs of the mens ITF $15k in Bath tomorrow having turned the tables on his namesake GB #3 James Ward in R1; and in the concurrent womens ITF $10k not for the first time in 2010 Anna Smith is the last Brit standing in the singles having taken her allotted space as 8th seed in the QFs with Mezak of Croatia next up. GOOD LUCK ANNA & ALEX!

WEEK 11: AND THEN THERE WAS ANNA SMITH (AGAIN!) (19.03.10)

With Andy Murray going down in the Indian Wells QFs, the only Briton male or female on the world pro tours left in the singles draws this week is, for the 3rd time this year already, Anna Smith. She is through to the semis of the Bath $10k ITF as 8th seed and now faces the 4th seed for a place in tomorrow's final. Jade Curtis and Anna Fitzpatrick are already through to the doubles final. See the Bath thread on the public forum for more. TWO TITLES PLEASE, GIRLS!

RANKINGS: NEW CAREER HIGHS FOR BALTACHA & BORWELL (22.03.10)

It turned out to be a quiet week-end for followers of Brits on the world's pro tours but there's good news aplenty in today's rankings lists including in the ATP list Andy Murray up again to world #3. In the WTA list on the back of their excellent showings in Indian Wells there are new Career Highs for Elena Baltacha and Sarah Borwell. Bally, GB #1 for singles, is up to world #62 and Sez, GB #1 for doubles, is up to world #73. That's not the only good news either! See the Rankings News threads on the public forum for more! CONGRATULATIONS BALLY & SEZ!

MIAMI: WINS IN Q1 FOR BALTACHA & O'BRIEN (23.03.10)

Hot on the heels of the Indian Wells ATP1000 and WTA Premier Mandatory fest comes the same again in Miami, Florida and it's great to have two British wins to report already! Elena Baltacha has accounted for Julie Ditty (USA) 6-4 6-4 in the first round of qualifying whilst Katie O'Brien has chalked up a win in 3 sets over Christine McHale (USA) to defend 20 of the 50 ranking points she picked up for lifting the Jersey ITF $25k title last year. Chan (TPE) next up for Bally; Krajicek (NED) for Katie. GO, GIRLS!

See Stop Press Archive (Part 2)