And then there were only two - realistic challengers that is, in the injury-plagued Irish Close championships at Donnybrook last evening.
The latest casualty was Claire Curran, an automatic wild card entry into the main draw of next month's US Open at Flushing Meadow on the back of her American Inter-Collegiate championship doubles win a few weeks ago.
The Belfast woman, seeded three, was forced out of her match against Miriam O'Meara yesterday because of an aggravated back injury originally sustained during the Collegiate finals while representing the University of California.
The amazing catalogue of injuries makes Saturday's finals in both the men's and women's singles finals that much easier to call. The probable pairings should be Owen Casey and Peter Clarke in the men's decider with the women's final virtually certain to see unseeded Cork teenager Elsa O'Riain take on top seed Gina Niland.
MEN'S SINGLES - First round: P Clarke bt C Foley 7-6 6-3; R Neiland bt C O'Toole 6-7 6-2 6-3; N Fagan bt J W Devine 6-3 6-3; S Taylor bt B Condren 6-3 7-6; G Doran bt H Henry 6-4 4-6 6-1.
WOMEN'S SINGLES - First round: E O Riain bt J Burke 6-0 6-3; S Campbell bt J Lawlor 4-6 7-5 6-3; D Kelly bt A M Hogan 6-4 4-6 6-1.
