Now I know most on CC won't give two hoots about this 50K Challenger that took place last week but it featured some strong results in both the mens and womens draw.

Anne Keothavong made the final (winning each round in straight sets) before falling to world number 141 Stephanie Dubois 46 63 63.

Elena Baltacha was unseeded but made it to the QF where she was defeated by Julie Ditty of America (who was the favourite for the title as she was on an unprecendeted winning streak on the USTA circuit). Keothavong dismantled Ditty in straight sets in the following round to avenge Bally's loss.

Jamie Baker made it to the SF in the mens event and Ross Hutchins finished runner up in the mens doubles.

This was a strong challenger event and the success of the Brits is a positive sign that they are still fighting for every win outside of Wimbledon.

Now we do give hoots RF!! Just are a bit lazy! lol. :D

Seriously though, Keovothong making the final and losing in 3! :o
Never really rated this girl very highly and would always put Bally above her. Well done to Anne, She probs has a lot more talent than we give her credit for, being BRit number 1 for so long...
Let's hope she can carry on with this form. And lets hope for Bally to get back on her game as I still say this girl has a lot of potential.

Anne Keothavong may be the butt of many jokes on CC but she has enough talent to make the top 100. Elena was always the one with raw talent, but Anne has always been more consistent. Last year she reached a high of 130 and seemed on the verge of cracking the top 100. She entered a string of Tier III and IV Asian hardcourt events but sadly failed to make an impact (a few wins could have seen her meet her target of making top 100 by the end of 2006). This year she has tried to change her game and serve which has caused her to have a string of losses as she gets used to her new game. Fortunately it seems she is now back on track with her serve apparrently being a big weapon now. She plays a 50K in Vancouver this week, along with Katie O'Brien. Hopefully both girls can do well :D

Just to let you guys know, Anne Keothavong won 50K Vancouver the following week beating Dubois in the final 7-5, 6-1 :D

Well done Anne :clap:

Looks like as you said, she could now be reaping the rewards of her labour :)

Still outside the top 100........ yet again :rolleyes:

Everyone probably thinks i'm on a downer about GB tennis, and they'd be right roflmao The amount of times these players have just flopped and flopped is beyond me, and their winning attitude is non-existent. Look at all the young Russian, French, Polish, Czech juniors out there on the tour. They want it SO badly, beyond belief in some cases, they'd just do anything to win and get up the rankings. Players like Anne just happy to get a Wimby wildcard every year and live off that merit( which lets face it is hardly warranted).

People always say give them a chance, ' there's so many facilites now in british tennis' :blah: Yet we still havent had a Brit in the top 100 for almost a decade. It's laughable it really is.

It's not harsh what i'm saying, its the dire situation British women's tennis is in. It's fine winning the odd challenger, but what impact are they actually having. Anne is 23 i believe and still hasnt broken the top 120. What a player? And dont try and convince me its hard for players at her level to break through as its not proven at all. Look at Sybille Bammer, up until a couple of years ago, she was marooned in challenger land, now she's a top 20 player. So being a top 150 player doesnt mean you have no chance of success.

These girls need to want it, because right now they're paid and pandered jokes :rolleyes:

dl you are mis-informed and quite frankly wrong...sorry to be so hard, but it's true.

Anne has stated that she in unwilling to settle for being a top 200 player and that if she fails to step up a level she plans on quitting tennis. Her resolve to improve is evident: since coming back from severe injury that put her out from the summer of 2004 (straight after trouncing Nicole Pratt at Wimbledon and having break points against Sharapova) until the spring of 2005. By the end of 2005 she was back in the top 300 and had won several challengers as well as a round at the tier III event in Quebec. Her aim was to be top 100 by the end of 2006, she failed to do so. At the start of 2007 she re-assessed the situation, made the necessary changes to her game to make her a better player. She struggled to adapt to her new game, had poor results and looked like she would give up. Then she picked things up at 50K Lexington reaching the final, then she won 50K Vancouver (preventing her from trying out in LA qualies) next she heads to Toronto for qualifying. She is putting herself out there and not settling for second best.

Naomi Cavaday has gone on record as saying that she only wants wild cards when she deserves them. She has propelled herself into the top 250 and is training at Bolitierri and will probably be in qualies for US Open, let's see what she does there before judging her. She also won a round at Edgbaston.

Katie O'Brien has struggled post grass season where she had great success winning three rounds of qualifying at Eastbourne, winning her first round and very much being in the match with Dementieva (granted Elena hates grass). She has said that 'the real work begins after Wimbledon'.

Mel South showed at Wimbledon Mixed that she has talent and every shot in the book, her movement is holding her back. Maybe she will give up singles and focus on doubles - who knows but from reading her blogs on her website she has drive and ambition and desire to win.

Elena Baltacha has been plagued by injuries. We all know that she is clearly capable of being a top 100/top 50 player from her runs to 3rd round of Wimbledon in 2002 and 3rd round of Australian in 2005 (having come through qualifying). She has no points to defend until next march and is already back in the top 300, given a good summer she could easily be in a good position come january to make the australian open main draw again.

Those are the top 5 Brits, they are all realistic, have all balance education with training and have all had varied success. They are not "flops" but real women trying their hearts out on court - Anne in her 2nd round win over Sharon Fichman in Vancouver got so lost in the match (in which Sharon antagonised her with moonballs and sneak tactics) that she called the 16 year old a little sh*t - she cares about winning and gives it her all, as do the others. You name Russia, Serbia and Czech Republic as easily producing committed players, well look at all the flops they have produced: Have you heard of the numerous eastern european women struggling on the ITF tour that have sacrificed everything for nothing? Nina Bratchikova from Russia, Petra Cetkovska from the Czech Republic, Ana Timotic from Serbia?

Get behind our players, we don't want complacent losers, but they deserve our support.

Ok so you didn't name Serbia :blush:

I'm sorry but all you've proven to me is that they want to play tennis. that's should be a given anyway RussianFan. I do think they have motivational issues, and they are given things on a plate. I mean Cavaday says she wont have WC's unless she deserves them- did she really deserve her Wimby wildcard. There are many players on the fringes of the top 100 who needed it more, players like Paulo Suarez perhaps who was a quarterfinalist at Wimby 3 years ago, and a former top tenner. Isnt she just as deserving, but was made to play qualies.

The thing is Russianfan, you tell me these women are working their guts out, but where are the results? All these new coaching facilities, which British coaches have hailed as the 'new era of GB tennis'. Where are the results then? A 2nd round result at Wimby is all we had to show at Wimby with the Wc's we dished out.

Stop giving them Wimby wildcards is what i say. make them earn it in the qualies, then we can decide who really has the desire for tennis, and who are living off the royalties of British tennis.