ANDY MURRAY MAKES WINNING START AT O2 ARENA (22.11.09)

Fantastic to reflect on the ATP World Tour Finals coming to London and Andy Murray, GB #1 and world #4, getting the singles show on the road with an important win over Del Potro, snapping at his heels in the world order just 645 ranking points behind. With 1500 points to the winner if he's won his 3 round robin group matches, and with Djokovic defending 1300 from last year's final in Shanghai, Andy could finish the year as world #3, 4 or 5. Today's win, 6-2 in the third, pretty much guarantees no worse than #4! SUPERB START, ANDY!

ELENA BALTACHA BACK FROM INJURY FOR TOYOTA (23.11.09)

Great to see that GB #2 Elena Baltacha will be playing her first match for a few weeks at the ITF $75,000+H tournament in Toyota, Japan tomorrow. As she trails Katie O'Brien by just 6 ranking points, a first round win would see her installed as GB #1 next Monday! Evergreen Kimoko Date-Krumm's great run at Bali means she has just pipped Bally for the #2 seeding here; Bally starts against Misaki Doi. GOOD LUCK, BALLY!

TOYOTA: ELENA BALTACHA WINS OPENER (24.11.09)

GB #2 Elena Baltacha made a winning start to her singles campaign at the ITF $75k+H tournament in Toyota, Japan. Her first match for 4 weeks after a knee tweak was against a talented Japanese youngster and proved to be a very useful work-out, 7-6(4) 3-6, before Bally bossed the final set 6-1. Next up in round 2 is So-Jung Kim of Korea the day after tomorrow. KEEP IT GOING, BALLY!

HELSINKI: CREAM OF GB MENS DOUBLES IS HERE! (24.11.09)

Whilst the country waits for Murray v Federer at the O2 this evening, GB's top 3 doubles exponents are seeded 1 & 2 between them at the top level ATP Challenger getting started in Helsinki. Ross Hutchins and his Roumanian partner are top seeds and, if the seedings work out, will be meeting Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming in the final. Serious bragging rights on offer then! MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN AND BE BRITISH IN WHOLE OR IN PART!!

[POSTSCRIPT: Murray won the first set but lost the third 6-1 which would come back to haunt him at countback time! ; and no Brits reached the Helsinki final ; heigh ho!]

DAN EVANS TOPPLES 3rd SEED IN HELSINKI (25.11.09)

Bjorn Phau is probably getting tired of meeting Brits! After losing to Alex Bogdanovic in Bratislava last week, he came up against GB #4 Dan Evans in round 1 of the 106,500Euro ATP Challenger in Helsinki yesterday. Dan, outranked 277 to 111, beat the German 3rd seed 6-4 1-6 6-4 to set up a second round clash with Antonio Veic of Croatia. As in Jersey in March when he won his maiden ATP singles title, DAN'S THE MAN!

TOYOTA: ELENA BALTACHA POWERS ON (26.11.09)

GB #2 (until next Monday when she'll be promoted!) Elena Baltacha stepped up a gear in R2 of the ITF $75k+H tournament in Toyota, Japan to beat Kim of Korea 6-4 6-3 and to get closer to a likely semi-final against evergreen Kimoko Date-Krumm. QF against Yonemura of Japan to negotiate first though. GO BALLY!

NAOMI BROADY ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL IN PUEBLA (27.11.09)

With Andy Murray and Elena Baltacha both going down by narrow margins overnight, highest level British singles survivor worldwide this week is Naomi Broady who is doing brilliantly at the ITF $25,000 tournament being played at Puebla, Mexico on this her first week back on the matchcourt after injury. In the first round she put out the 7th seed and in R2 yesterday breezed through 6-4 6-1. A French qualifier next up in the QFs. BRILLIANT SO FAR, NAOMI, AND GOOD LUCK!

VALLDUXO: AMANDA CARRERAS LANDS ANOTHER TITLE (28.11.09)

After, for 2009, a rare couple of blank week-ends on the British title-winners front, great to report that one more is definitely in the bag with another two possible courtesy of Naomi Broady in Mexico and Amanda Carreras in Spain. Amanda, GB's Gibraltarian connection, had a superb May picking up her first 4 ITF titles in the space of a fortnight to be the ITF Woman Player of the Month. Her wait for a 5th title ended today as she and her Spanish partner won the doubles final 11-9 in the MTB at the ITF $10k in Vallduxo; and also today she won her singles QF to set up a semi against the top seed (who she beat in the dubs final!). WAY TO GO, AMANDA!

PUEBLA: NAOMI BROADY INTO FINAL (29.11.09)

With Amanda Carreras getting a walkover into her Spanish final, two more British titles are still on for tomorrow! She was joined on finals Sunday by Naomi Broady who, in her first week back from injury, is in danger of landing her first ever $25k singles title. Naomi won her QF at a canter 2&2 and then today in the semis put out the 5th seed 3&3. Tomljanovic of Croatia next for the title! MAGIC STUFF, NAOMI!!

NAOMI BROADY UNSTOPPABLE AT PUEBLA ITF $25,000! (30.11.09)

Amanda Carreras went down in the Vallduxo singles final to the 3rd seed so had to settle for "just" one title in week 47; been a great week for her though. Even better for Naomi Broady: she only went and won her first tournament back after 20 weeks out through injury without dropping a single set, picking up her biggest title yet 7-6(4) 6-3 in the final of the $25k at Puebla, Mexico. FANTASTIC JOB, NAOMI!

ELENA BALTACHA TAKES OVER AS GB #1 (01.12.09)

The ranking points Elena Baltacha picked up from her trip to Japan last week have enabled her to leapfrog Katie O'Brien to become British number one with a new Career High ranking of world #85. All being well, this will be a process repeated many times in 2010 as they chase each other up the rankings with Anne Keothavong in hot pursuit once she's back from injury. Meantime... CONGRATULATIONS BALLY!

ANDY MURRAY WORLD #4 AT YEAR END (02.12.09)

Andy Murray ended the year as he began it, as world #4. Quite a lot happened in between, mind! Like picking up 6 ATP titles and a bit of loose change short of $4m in prize-money; and being the first Brit since the rankings began to be the world #3 and then, for 3 weeks only on this occasion, world #2. Thankfully, Andy missing Shanghai through injury and then the O2 semis by a hair's breadth did not allow Del Potro to overtake him on the last day although it was a near drawn thing! See the Rankings News (Men) thread on the public forum. 2009 has been a fantastic year with just one thing missing. Don't think many people would bet against Andy adding a Slam to his CV in 2010... GO, ANDY!!

NAOMI BROADY THROUGH TO LA HABANA LAST 8 (03.12.09)

Following on from her $25k ITF singles title run in Mexico last week, Naomi Broady is top seed at the $10,000 ITF tournament being played in Cuba this week. Very nice to see she's continuing last week's progress style by winning all her matches in straight sets! Round 1 this week was 1&1; round 2 was 2&1. After 20 weeks on the sidelines, Naomi's clearly relishing being back. IMPRESSIVE, NAOMI, KEEP IT UP!!

CUBA: NAOMI BROADY STORMS INTO THE SEMIS (04.12.09)

Naomi Broady today continued her barnstorming return to the tennis tour after injury to bring her sets score over the past week and a half to 16-0. Having lifted the $25k ITF singles title in Mexico last week without dropping a set, Naomi is through to the singles SFs at the $10k ITF in La Habana in like fashion. She won her GF against Lisa Summerer of Austria 6-4 6-2 to now face the 5th seed, Germany's Karolina Nowak, for a place in the final. RUNNING OUT OF SUPERLATIVES HERE, NAOMI !

NAOMI BROADY EASES INTO LA HABANA FINAL (05.12.09)

Another day another straight sets win for Naomi Broady! With a 6-2 6-2 victory over the 5th seed at the ITF $10k tournament at La Habana, Cuba, she moved comfortably into her second final in consecutive weeks to take her set count to 18-0 since her comeback from injury. Next up is 6th seed Yana Koroleva of Russia. MAKE IT BACK TO BACK TITLES, NAOMI!

LA HABANA, CUBA: NAOMI BROADY WINS AGAIN! (06.12.09)

Naomi Broady today swept aside her singles final opponent 6-2 6-0 at the first of two consecutive $10,000 ITF tournaments being held in La Habana. With Naomi's set count now 20-0 over the last fortnight, can she keep it going for a third back to back title? Won't bet against it! Meantime... CONGRATULATIONS, NAOMI !

NAOMI BROADY'S LEAP UP THE RANKINGS (PART ONE!) (07.12.09)

The 50 ranking points Naomi Broady earned for her $25k ITF singles title win in Puebla have now been chalked up by the WTA computer. Naomi leaps 118 places up the world rankings from #445 to #327 and in the process is transformed from GB #11 to GB #7. Further gains to be reported next Monday thanks to Naomi's title at La Habana yesterday! GREAT STUFF, NAOMI!

CRUEL DRAW FOR JENNIFER ALLAN AT LA HABANA II (08.12.09)

Tennis can be a cruel game. British novice ITF footsoldier Jennifer Allan, looking for her first Main Draw win in an ITF senior event, won through qualifying at the second $10k ITF tournament being held at La Habana, Cuba and her reward? First round against fellow Brit top seed Naomi Broady who came to the match on a winning streak of 10 straight sets matches. Jennifer pushed Naomi all the way in the second set before succumbing 6-1 7-6(5)

CUBA: NAOMI BROADY MAKES IT 24-0! (09.12.09)

Another straight sets win for Naomi Broady in R2 of La Habana II has taken her tally to 24 sets without reply since her return to the matchcourt since injury. As in the first round, the second set was a close one but Naomi prevailed 6-2 7-5 and now faces an unseeded Columbian in the QFs. KEEP IT GOING, NAOMI!

NAOMI BROADY: THE BANDWAGON ROLLS ON!! (10.12.09)

Great to report no apparent slowing down of the bandwagon which has been crushing all opponents for the past two and a half weeks in the Central Americas! Naomi Broady won her QF in Cuba at the second $10k ITF in La Habana 6-2 6-1 to set up a semi against the 3rd seed Zuzana Linhova of the Czech Republic. On paper Naomi's trickiest opponent since she embarked on her comeback from injury. KEEP ON ROLLING, NAOMI !