World champion Charlotte Cornwallis swept aside US number 1 Freddy Adam for the loss of just 2 games as she reached the British Open Real Tennis Championship at Seacourt Club, Hayling Island, Hants.
Cornwallis, who is bidding for a Grand Slam of major titles, forced explosively and retrieved with typical athleticism despite bold volleying from the American. She had far too much consistency and weight of shot for Adam who was never allowed to find her length and rhythm.
Cornwallis now meets the dogged Karen Hird who upset the second seed Claire Vigrass, 17, after staging a tenacious fightback. The tall, powerful Vigrass, the world’s top junior, looked dominant throughout the early stages of the match, hitting aggressively and cutting the ball severely for a string of spectacular winners. She led by a set and 2-1 but then got caught too long down the receiving end while the diminutive Hird, 20, a junior badminton international, demonstrated her trademark tenacity with clever hustling and variety of shot which began to tilt the match her way.
Although Vigrass held numerous game points at crucial stages, her canny opponent produced some miraculous retrieving which eroded the youngster’s confidence and eventually brought Hird, a Cambridge undergraduate, a repeat of her surprise victory in the French Open.
For Vigrass, who has just won a prestigious 8-month scholarship to play and train at Lord’s while competing at major tournaments worldwide, it was a salutary lesson in courtcraft and a reminder that tight matches are won as much by intelligent tactics as by sheer power and speed around the court.
Hird, who took a set off Cornwallis in the French Open final is now hoping to go one better and record her first victory against the favourite in tomorrow’s final, although few would bet against the champion taking the title which will secure her a coveted Grand Slam. The pair who have recently teamed up in doubles are number 1 seeds for this championship too.
Results: Seacourt , Hayling Island.
British Women’s Open Real Tennis Championships (Names British unless stated)
Semi-finals
C. Cornwallis bt F. Adam (US) 6-2 6-0
K. Hird bt C. Vigrass 3-6 6-2 6-2
