Items from the Advantage Homepage Stop Press feature will be posted here also as a "snapshot per day" (more or less) of the tennis seasons (Great British Tennis sector) as they roll by. Starting with the moment that our women touring pros rolled back 19 years of history!

BALLY AND KATIE BREAK INTO WORLD TOP 100 (27.09.09)

Following their superb run to yesterday's final of the $75,000 ITF tournament at Shrewsbury, it is now certain that in the WTA singles rankings list to be issued tomorrow GB will have not just one (Anne Keothavong) but THREE names in the world top 100 with title winner Elena Baltacha at an estimated #91 and runner-up Katie O'Brien at an estimated #97. It is 19 years since the WTA top 100 had so many British players in it. CONGRATULATIONS!!

[Postscript: in actual fact it was a week-end when an extraordinary number of players all in contention for hurdling the top 100 barrier around the world had runs into their respective finals; Bally's ranking for week commencing 28.09.09 was #93; Katie's was #98. Still magical numbers! ]

NEW CAREER HIGH DOUBLES RANKING FOR EMILY WEBLEY-SMITH (28.09.09)

Whilst waiting for the points to show up in the WTA singles rankings list from Darwin II when Emily can expect a further rise towards that singles Career High of hers, great to report that Em has a new doubles CH in today's list. Updating Emily's website career page with titles and new doubles CHs has been a pleasantly regular task this year! GOOD WORK, EMILY!!

[Note: the new doubles CH was #289]

SKUPSKI AND FLEMING LIFT ATP250 DOUBLES TITLE (29.09.09)

Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming have had a great year playing as a team all year; it got better in Metz at the week-end. More details on the Mens Rankings News thread on the public forum. WELL DONE, GUYS!!

BARNSTAPLE WILD CARD ENSURES WORLD RANKING FOR LISA (30.09.09)

Lisa Whybourn, 18, will gain her world ranking when the WTA list appears on Monday week. Her excellent showing at the Shrewsbury ITF $75,000 tournament netted her 20 ranking points and left her needing just one more counting score to get her world ranking. With her Wild Card into the Main Draw, that'll be at Barnstaple, then! YAY, LISA!!

BARNSTAPLE: GOOD NEWS FOR LAURA ROBSON & NICOLA GEORGE (01.10.09)

Thanks to some late withdrawals, Laura Rosbon, 15, is now straight into the Main Draw at Barnstaple which starts on Tuesday. Nicola George, 17, will be in the preceding qualies but armed with the knowledge that, like Lisa Whybourn, she is guaranteed her world ranking on Monday week. See the Barnstaple thread on the public forum. CONGRATULATIONS NICOLA!!

HELSINKI: ANOTHER ITF TITLE COMING TO BRITAIN (02.10.09)

With Mel South and Anna Smith and their respective Scandinavian partners both upsetting the seedings in the semis of the Helsinki ITF $25,000 tournament doubles yesterday, today will see yet another ITF title coming to Britain (albeit part-shared!) in what has been a phenomenally successful year. Shame they can't both win, of course, but good luck to both and then it's hot-foot to Barnstaple! GO MEL/ANNA!!

[Postscript: Mel and partner in fact won 6-3 6-3]

BLOOMFIELD IN LINE FOR BRITISH TITLE #91 OF THE YEAR (03.10.09)

Mel South having yesterday in Helsinki become the 90th British name alongside a title on the ATP, WTA and ITF tours in 2009, Richard Bloomfield is through to the singles final of the ITF futures tournament in Laguna Niguel, California having dispatched the #2 seed en route for what would be his first singles title of the year although he does have two doubles titles already in 2009. GOOD LUCK, RICHARD!

[Postscript: Richard in fact went very close but lost 7-5 in the third set]

[Further note: in actual fact, I see that Jamie Baker's 15k win in Australia during week commencing 21st September which has now appeared on the ATP activity record was British title #91 ; apologies, Jamie, for having overlooked that! ]

NINE (YES, NINE) BRITISH PLAYERS IN WORLD TOP 100 LISTS (05.10.09)

Question: What have Andy Murray, Ross Hutchins, Ken Skupski, Colin Fleming, Jamie Murray, Anne Keothavong, Elena Baltacha, Katie O'Brien and Sarah Borwell got in common? Answer: they are all in the world top 100 for the second week running in today's ATP and WTA lists!

[Note: Andy is singles #3; Ross doubles #45; Ken doubles #75; Colin doubles #77; Jamie doubles #96; Anne singles #75; Elena singles #90; Katie singles #98; Sarah double #77]

SKUPSKI & FLEMING TOP SEEDS IN MONS (06.10.09)

Ken and Colin aiming to carry on where they left off at the ATP250 in Metz (i.e. by lifting the title!) at this week's 106,500Euro+H Challenger in Belgium. They are at the top of the doubles draw which also includes the now regular British pairing of Jamies, Murray and Delgado. Jonathan Marray is there too. See the Mons thread on the public forum. GO, GUYS!!

ROSS HUTCHINS INTO ATP500 QFs IN TOKYO (07.10.09)

Whilst the rest of the cream of British mens doubles is in Mons, GB #1 is in Japan at an ATP500; picking up 90 ranking points yesterday with Aussie partner Jordan Kerr 10-7 in the match tiebreaker in R1. Home wild cards next up so a decent chance to progress? GOOD LUCK, ROSS!

BARNSTAPLE: WINS FOR WHYBOURN & CURTIS (07.10.09)

The Main Draw got under way yesterday with Lisa Whybourn recording another great win, following on her form from Shrewsbury, and Jade Curtis saw off younger pretender Tara Moore 7-5 in the third of three high quality sets. See the Barnstaple thread on the public forum. Also great to note Katie O'Brien won her R1 at the 100k+H in Tokyo.

LISA WHYBOURN WINS AGAIN IN BARNSTAPLE (08.10.09)

Lisa's fantasy fortnight continued today proving the 20 ranking points won in Shrewsbury were no fluke! She followed up her great win in R1 with a superb nailbiter of a win in R2 over the 6th seed and now has the 4th seed in her sights! See the Barnstaple thread on the public forum for more details. She's the only home player through to the singles last 8; so KEEP IT GOING, LISA!!

JAPAN: KATIE O'BRIEN & ROSS HUTCHINS STILL WINNING (08.10.09)

Katie won her R2 6-2 6-4 in Tokyo to remain on course for her seeded place in the semis whilst Ross and partner saw off their QF opponents comfortably 6-2 6-3

EMILY WEBLEY-SMITH LIFTS HER FIRST $25K TITLE (09.10.09)

Emily and her Australian partner Olivia Rogowska have today carried off the doubles title at the $25,000 ITF tournament at Mount Gambier, South Australia. They beat the second seeded Sema sisters of Japan in the final, excitingly taking the champions tiebreaker 10-7. See the Mount Gambier thread on the public forum. JUST CHAMPION, EMILY!!

ROSS HUTCHINS INTO ATP500 DOUBLES FINAL IN TOKYO (10.10.09)

Katie's bid for a top ITF title in Tokyo having fallen just short at the semi-final stage, Ross and his Australian partner Jordan Kerr are just one match away from lifting the ATP500 doubles title in the same city. They saw off their semi-final opponents 10-7 in the match tie-breaker and now face Austrian pair Knowle and Melzer in the final. GOOD LUCK, ROSS!!

BARNSTAPLE: ANNA SMITH TAKES THE DOUBLES TITLE (11.10.09)

Ross fell agonisingly short in his Tokyo final, 10-8 in the champions tiebreaker, so it was Anna Smith, in harness with Johanna Larsson of Sweden, who today secured the 93rd British title of 2009 on the senior ITF, WTA and ATP tours. Larsson had a dream day winning the singles final earlier; and then she and Anna lifted the $50k doubles 7-5 6-4. CONGRATULATIONS ANNA!!

JAMIE BAKER WINS YET AGAIN (12.10.09)

Correction: Anna's win was not the 93rd as Jamie had already picked that up in a continuation of his extraordinary sequence down under. He won his ITF 15k singles final at Happy Valley, Australia 6-1 6-3 to secure his third title in four weeks and ensure a rise to well inside the world top 400 when the points go on next week. EXCELLENT, JAMIE!!

KATIE O'BRIEN CHALKS UP 1st WTA LEVEL WIN OF YEAR (12.10.09)

Katie's good news keeps coming! Not only has she achieved a new career high world singles ranking today of 94, Katie has also today won her first round at the WTA $220,000 tournament in Osaka, Japan against Alexa Glatch of the USA by the impressive margin of 6-3 6-4, reversing precisely the score in their only previous meeting at the US Open 2008 qualies, and being her first win at this level in 2009. Next up top seed and world #6 Wozniacki of Denmark or Morita of Japan. TERRIFIC STUFF, KATIE!!

LISA WHYBOURN & NICOLA GEORGE GAIN THEIR WORLD RANKINGS (13.10.09)

Great to be able to confirm that in the new WTA singles rankings list issued yesterday thanks to the further points chalked up in Barnstaple 18 year old Lisa (at a very impressive #595) and 17 year old Nicola (at #900) are the newest British girls to get their senior world rankings. See the Rankings News (Women) thread on the public forum. CONGRATULATIONS LISA & NICOLA!