Baltacha through to Nottingham final
Friday, 04 June 2010
Top seed Elena Baltacha won two matches in a day to reach the final of the Aegon Trophy tournament in Nottingham.
In her quarter-final match, Baltacha defeated Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0. Lertcheewakarn, 18, won the Wimbledon Girls' Singles title in 2009.
Baltacha then faced sixth seed Xinyun Han of China in the semifinals. The British number one booked her place in the final in two sets, 7-6(5), 6-3.
The world number 62 will now play American Carly Gullickson in the final, where she will be attempting to win the ninth ITF Singles title of her career.
Anne Keothavong was forced to retire from her match against the second seed, Sandra Zhalavova of the Czech Republic, after she aggravated a hip injury.
The seventh seed lost the first set by six games to four, and was level at three games apiece in the second, when she had to withdraw.
In the Women's Doubles competiton, British player Sarah Borwell and American Raquel Kops-Jones, lifted the title, with victory over Naomi Broady and Katie O'Brien. The second seeds won on a match tie-break, 6-3, 2-6 [10-7].
In the men's Challenger event, Alexander Ward's impressive run continued, when the qualifier knocked out the fourth seed, Taylor Dent of the USA. Ward, 20, won in three sets, 7-5, 0-6, 7-6(8), to move into the quarter-finals.
The two other British players in the last 16, Alex Bogdanovic and James Ward, failed to progress to the next round.
Bogdanovic was defeated by Japanese player Go Soeda, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, and Ward bowed out to Ryan Harrison of the USA, 6-3, 6-3.