TENNIS/Irish Women's Open Championship: Wild-card entry Karen Nugent from Dublin provided the highlight of the day at the Ellesse Women's Irish Open Championship when beating defending champion Helena Norfeldt in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Allowing for a three quarters of an hour rain break, the match took three hours and 10 minutes to complete and Nugent closed the tie out in style breaking Norfeldt's serve, to love, in the 12th game of the final set.
Norfeldt had some difficulty in dealing with Nugent's more varied game, examples of which were packed into the final game; an angled stop volley and two forehand drives into the right corner. A frustrated Norfeldt double faulted on match point.
"When I played positive I won the point but it was difficult for me to go for winners all the time," said Nugent afterwards. She meets Natalie Neri of Britain today for entry into the last eight.
Yvonne Doyle, the number two seed and highest ranked Irish player, dropped only three games against Australian Michelle Summerside, hitting well-honed ground strokes in 50 minutes for 6-2, 6-1.
A third Irish challenger, Elsa O'Riain from Cork, went through at the expense of Irish qualifier Clodagh McMorrow of Tipperary 6-3, 6-1. O'Riain, only two years playing the professional circuit, will attend Harvard University in September.
Britain's top seed Amanda Janes went through with ease against compatriot Carly Homewood, 6-2, 6-2.
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