TENNIS Irish Open Indoor Championships: Dublin teenager Eoin Heavey scored his most significant win to date in beating British prospect Nathan Rooney to reach today's final in the David Lloyd-sponsored Irish Indoor championships at Riverview last evening.

An absorbing, two-and-a-half hour encounter saw Heavey, seeded sixth, use his main attributes on serve and adventure around the court to surprise his more fancied English opponent.

Aces flowed for the Dubliner and Rooney was often on the back foot. Still, the Englishman bagged the first set 6-4.

Heavey then showed his resilience and appetite for success, playing high-risk tennis to take the second set 6-2. When it went into a final set Heavey's confidence grew and he put the match to bed in the 12th game.

Heavey showed an exciting flair based on razor-sharp precision to leave him with more than a shout against top seed Matthew Smith in today's decider. Smith, after beating Conor Niland, the Irish Davis cup player, admitted to losing his cool.

Niland was tenacious but somewhat luckless on many crucial points. "He played better than me for a lot of the time," conceded Smith.

Niland's trouble, however, was his inability to capitalise on his chances for breaks at crucial stages. Smith took the first set on the strength of a first-game break.

The Liverpudlian admitted to throwing the second set after going into early arrears, but re-gathered himself in the final set for a deserved victory.

In the women's singles, Wales' Rebecca Llewellyn, the number four seed, ousted Ireland's Rachel Dillon by virtue of a 7-4 final set tiebreak.

MEN'S SINGLES: Semi-finals: M Smith bt C Niland 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, E Heavey bt N Rooney 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. WOMEN'S SINGLES: Semi-finals: Y Doyle bt G Misiuriova 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, R Llewellyn bt R Dillon 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4). MEN'S DOUBLES: Semi-final: C O'Brien and B King bt B Williams and D McLoughlin 6-3, 6-4.