THE women players will again have the attention of the European Tennis Federation statisticians for this month's Oil of Ulay-sponsored Irish Open championships at Riverview. Theirs is a 10,000 satellite WITA points-earning competition. The men's event has no such status but is expected, nonetheless, to be appealing.
The championships proper, following qualifying rounds, are scheduled to start on Monday July 22nd, with all finals on Saturday July 27th.
The men's event loses some of its impetus because of the unavailability of Eoin Collins, who returns to the US next week, and Owen Casey and Scott Barron, both of whom are competing at the Olympic Games.
The opportunity to lift the coveted title will therefore be less demanding for Tommy Hamilton, the recently crowned Irish Close champion, and Davis Cup player John Doran. An overseas entry should, however, provide formidable opposition.
The women's list, according to world rankings, is headed by Robyn Mawdsley of Australia, ranked 366. Holland's Anne Marie Mikkers who, like Mawdsley, has competed here before, adds suitable appeal to an event top heavy (as would be expected) with overseas players.
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