Tense quarter-final ends in acrimony

What a disgraceful way for a tennis match to end. Spectators at Riverview last evening watched in disgust as a quarterfinal in the Irish Open indoor championships ended in a poisonous atmosphere. The usual handshake at the net was sadly replaced by an alleged spit from the loser.

The incident is likely to cost Peter Clarke, a returned emigrant and top seed, a reprimand at least, if indeed not suspension. Clarke stands accused of spitting at his giant-killing opponent, David Mullins, the number eight seed at the end of a tense two-hour battle that saw Mullins win on a final set tie-break 8-6. Mullins, a third-year student at Fresno College in California, was left with mixed feelings, following his notable win. He was elated to reach the semi-finals by beating the top seed but was visibly disturbed by the ultimate attitude of his opponent. "He spat at me and his response to my offering to shake hands was `let's go outside and settle it'."

Mullins added: "You get this type of stuff in college in the States but it's dreadful."

Clarke stormed out of the venue telling tournament referee Des Allen that he has scratched from the doubles in which he was to partner Owen Casey, giving injury as his excuse. Clarke looked to have the winning of the match when leading 6-4 in the tie-break but Mullins finished on a high note to claim the next four points for the match. Mullins stunningly raced away to a 6-2 first-set win. Clarke's serve got into a better groove as he took the second but Mullins's defensive play was sometimes awesome in highly competitive rallies. Breaks were shared in the final set and bitterness between the two surfaced following line calls. With both players using the lines as targets, the absence of lines people became notable. Mullins claimed "he questioned calls that were not even close". Tennis Ireland defended its decision not to have court officials (umpires and lines people). A spokesman said: "With eight quarter-finals in all between the women's and men's championships, there would not be sufficient officials to cover all matches. Tennis Ireland chief executive officer Des Allen confirmed that the ending of the match is a disciplinary matter.

Mullins now meets Owen Casey, the number three seed in the semi-finals. Casey cruised against Joe Greene to win 6-2 6-2 while Scott Barron, the second seed, beat former Davis Cup player Mark Farren 6-2 6-3 .