CHRIS EATON & ANNA SMITH LAND 3 TITLES IN GLASGOW (16.01.10)

Week 2 of the 2010 season has seen the British title counter burst into life! Chris Eaton followed up lifting the doubles title with Dominic Inglot yesterday by overturning the rankings against compatriot Jamie Baker in today's singles final of the Glasgow $15k ITF to take it 4&4. In the concurrent womens $10k ITF, Anna Smith went agonisingly close today in the singles SFs going down to the top seed 6-7(3) 5-7 but lifted the doubles title with her French partner winning today's final 4&4. CONGRATULATIONS CHRIS & ANNA!

ECUADOR: MARRAY & MURRAY LIFT DOUBLES TITLE (16.01.10)

The British title counter has been working overtime today! First in Glasgow at the ITFs and then at the $35+H ATP Challenger in Salinas, Ecuador. Jonny Marray and Jamie Murray, seeded 2, landed the dubs title (to add to the two they picked up together in the Netherlands and Kazakhstan over recent months) and 80 ranking points each by beating the top seeds 6-3 6-4. EXCELLENT, GUYS!

SYDNEY: ROSS HUTCHINS COLLECTS 150 POINTS (16.01.10)

Not quite another British title but an excellent tournament for Ross Hutchins at the ATP250 in Sydney this week where he and regular partner Jordan Kerr of Australia made the final. Their opponents are nominally world #3= although on precisely the same points tally as the #1= guys and were taken to the wire in the second set before prevailing 6-3 7-6(5). Nice haul of 150 ranking points for Ross as he keeps his nose in front as GB mens doubles #1. GREAT WEEK, ROSS!

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: 6 BRITONS IN DOUBLES MAIN DRAWS (17.01.10)

Excellent to be able to report significant British interest in the doubles in the first Slam of the year in Melbourne. Mens doubles GB#1 Ross Hutchins and his partner Jordan Kerr (AUS) face the 7th seeds in R1 in the top quarter of the draw whilst GB #1 doubles team Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski have unseeded opposition in R1 in the second quarter. Womens doubles GB #1 Sarah Borwell and her partner Raquel Kops-Jones (USA) outrank their R1 opponents in the bottom half of the draw whilst Elena Baltacha, making a rare foray into doubles, partners Liga Dekmeijere of Latvia in the top half and Laura Robson, teamed up with Sally Peers (AUS), has been given a Wild Card also in the top half. LET BATTLE COMMENCE!

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: ELENA BALTACHA & ANDY MURRAY WIN (18.01.10)

On the first day of Main Draw action today, rain has prevented GB #2 Katie O'Brien getting on court in her bid to make it a first round clean sweep of 3 wins out of 3 for the Britons in the Australian Open singles in Melbourne. GB #1 Elena Baltacha was made to work hard for her win by Parmentier of France before Bally clinched it 7-5 in the 3rd; that other GB #1, Andy Murray, had a comfortable win for the loss of only 4 games. MAKE IT 3 OUT OF 3, KATIE!

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: KATIE O'BRIEN THROUGH TO ROUND 2 (19.01.10)

It's a red letter day for Katie O'Brien and British tennis! Katie won her first Slam main draw match outside Wimbledon today by comprehensively beating Mayr of Austria 6-3 6-3 to take her place alongside Elena Baltachain round 2 of the Australian open in Melbourne. It's 19 years since there was more than one Briton beyond round 1 of the Australian Open womens singles. See the Australian Open thread on the public forum for more details. CONGRATULATIONS, KATIE!

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: ELENA BALTACHA DOWNS SEED IN R2 (20.01.10)

Another great day down under for British tennis! 4 winners and only 2 losses to report on day 3 with pride of place going to GB #1 Elena Baltacha who put out the 30th seed in straight sets; not far behind another apparently effortless win by Andy Murray; and GB doubles numbers 2 & 3 Ken Skupski & Colin Fleming. Katie O'Brien, not unexpected against the 8th seed, and Ross Hutchins, agonisingly in a third set tie-break against the 7th seeds, were the only Britons to go down. 2nd seed Safina next for Elena. See the Australian Open thread on the public forum for more details. GO, BALLY!

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: 100% BRITISH SUCCESS ON DAY 4 (21.01.10)

Three Britons took to the matchcourt today in the first round of the womens doubles and three British victories was the outcome. Take a bow Sarah Borwell, Elena Baltacha and birthday girl Laura Robson, 16 today. See the Australian Open thread on the public forum for more details. FANTASTIC x 3, GIRLS!

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: WINS FOR MURRAY & ROBSON ON DAY 5 (22.01.10)

No, not in the Mixed a la Hopman Cup but separately! Andy Murray produced another efficient, straight sets under two hours, win in round 3 of the mens singles whilst Laura Robson and Sally Peers (AUS) continued to justify, big time, their womens doubles Wild Card by ousting seeded opponents also in straight sets. There were some British casualties today plus an unexpected bonus. See the Australian Open thread on the public forum for more details. EXCELLENT AGAIN, ANDY & LAURA!

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: AND THEN THERE WERE TWO (SENIORS) (23.01.10)

Three British defeats on day 6 has left Andy Murray in the mens singles and Laura Robson in the womens doubles to fly the British flag deeper into the senior events in Melbourne. The junior events begin shortly with Laura being joined in the Girls' singles by US Open junior champion Heather Watson and 3 British boys Oliver Golding, Jack Carpenter and Tom Allen in the singles main draw. See the Australian Open and Rankings News (Juniors) threads on the public forum for more details.

AO DAY 7: ANDY MURRAY & LAURA ROBSON WIN AGAIN (24.01.10)

Impressive straight sets wins again for the remaining Britons in the senior draws of the Australian Open today! In the mens singles 4th round, 5th seed Andy Murray had to save a set point against 33rd seed Isner (USA) before taking the opening set tiebreak 7-4 and then easing his way through to his first career AO quarter-final. Rafa Nadal next! Laura Robson is also through th her first ever AO senior QF after she and her partner won their womens doubles thrid round 6-3 6-3. YAY x 2!!

AO JUNIORS: OLIVER GOLDING & LAURA ROBSON WIN (25.01.10)

GB #1 Girl and US Open junior champion Heather Watson has slipped to a first round defeat in the Australian Open junior singles and so Laura Robson, former world #1 junior and beaten finalist in Melbourne last year and through today's first round for the loss of only one game, will carry the flag alone in the Girls' event; GB #1 Boy, 16 years old Oliver Golding, will have the same task in the Boys' singles after an excellent R1 win against the 12th seed Uchiyama of Japan 6-4 6-4. Jack Carpenter and Tom Allen won their first round doubles. GO, LAURA, OLIVER, JACK & TOM!

AO DAY 9: ANDY MURRAY MARCHES INTO THE SEMIS (26.01.10)

Three British wins to savour in the juniors today as well (details on the Australian Open thread on the public forum) but the huge news from the senior mens singles takes precedence: Andy Murray beat Rafa Nadal in straight sets to reach his first AO semi (it was his first QF!) with 14th seed Marin Cilic (CRO) his opponent for a place in the final against Federer/Davydenko/Djokovic/Tsonga. WAY TO GO, ANDY!

AO JUNIORS: LAURA ROBSON EASES INTO LAST 8 (27.01.10)

The Australian Andy & Laura fest lives on! It started at the Hopman in Perth and they are now the only remaining British interest in Melbourne with Andy Murray in the mens singles SFs and Laura Robson in the Girls' singles QFs. After dropping a set in round 2 Laura cranked it up again today to dispatch her third round opponent 3&3 in only 67 minutes. See the Australian Open thread on the public forum for more details. IMPRESSIVE, LAURA!

AO: ROBSON & MURRAY RAMPANT AGAIN (28.01.10)

Glory is almost tangible now for both Laura Robson and Andy Murray. See the Australian Open thread on the public forum for more detail. Laura squidged her Girls' singles QF opponent today in 43 minutes; it may "only" be the junior event but who's to say it won't be the senior one in 2 years' time?! And talking of the main event, Andy Murray has today booked his place in Sunday's showpiece, his second Slam final. Think he's ready this time! LIFT THE TITLE, ANDY!

[Note: a website malfunction caused one month's worth of postings to be lost into cyberspace; these next few are being reloaded for a second time; apologies for the gap then prior to 6th March! ]

AO JUNIORS: LAURA ROBSON STORMS INTO FINAL (29.01.10)

See the Australian Open thread on the public forum for more detail but suffice it to say here that for the second year running Laura Robson is in the final of the AO Girls' Singles! If she lands the title that will be back-to-back junior Slams for British girls following Heather Watson lifting the last US Open; and three Slams out of 7 for British girls including Laura's Wimbledon 2008. DO IT PLEASE, LAURA!

AO JUNIORS: LAURA ROBSON JUST FALLS SHORT (30.01.10)

It was closer than last year's final but for the second year running Laura Robson has fallen at the final hurdle in her quest for the Australian Open Girls Singles title. If she so wishes, she still has two more chances although she may be challenging deep into the senior event by then of course! Karolina Pliskova (CZE) is nearly two years older than Laura and already has two $25k ITF singles titles on her CV; so for Laura to take her so close in the second set was a spirited effort. CHIN UP, LAURA!

AO FINAL: FEDERER CONFIRMS HE'S STILL THE BEST (31.01.10)

Despite a gutsy showing in a monumental 3rd set tiebreaker which ran to 24 points, Andy Murray had to settle for coming second today behind Roger Federer who is, if Grand Slam singles titles are the only benchmark, the best male player of all time (that's 16 for the Fed now!). See the Australian Open thread on the public forum for more detail. Two cases of "close but no cigar" for British tennis this week-end, then, but it's been a terrific month Down Under! THANKS ANDY & LAURA!

KEN SKUPSKI TAKES OVER AS MENS DOUBLES GB #1 (01.02.10)

With so much (mainly!) good news in today's updated rankings lists it's invidious to highlight one aspect but here goes! After a superb 12 months as half of team Flemski, Ken Skupski can today celebrate being Britain's number one in the world doubles list at #53, one ahead now of Ross Hutchins and 3 ahead of his regular partner Colin Fleming. See the Rankings News (Men) and Rankings News (Women) threads on the public forum for more on this and other highlights. CONGRATULATIONS KEN!

ZAGREB: ROSS HUTCHINS FIGHTS BACK! (02.02.10)

The luck of the draw was absent for team Flemski at the ATP250 in Zagreb when they were thrown up against the top seeds in round one going down by 4&3 giving Ross Hutchins the instant opportunity to recapture his GB #1 doubles status. Seeded 4th with regular Australian partner Jordan Kerr, Ross was up against a Croatian wild card pairing and edged it 7-6(4) 7-6(5). Jonathan Marray and Jamie Murray are also in the draw. GO, YOU REMAINING BRITS!