Tennis Irish OpenFor those who like their tennis fought out from the baseline à la Roland Garros, spiced by pounding forehands, double-fisted backhands and rallies rarely lasting less than a dozen shots, the men's Irish Open championship at Fitzwilliam was the place to be yesterday.
Ireland's principal Davis Cup players, Kevin Sorensen and Conor Niland, were involved in the protracted - but losing - shoot-outs against higher world-ranked Danish and Scottish opponents.
Sorensen had a mammoth task against Denmark's top-ranked player, Kristian Pless, a 25-year-old more than 700 places above the Irishman on the ATP rankings.
The Dane's senior career followed a hugely successful under-18 campaign in which he was the world's number one seven years ago. Sorensen forced a final set before succumbing 4-6, 7-5, 3-6 after a two-hour battle of power-hitting.
Pless demonstrated his erratic temperament after losing that middle set. He resorted to a mild verbal attack on the umpire and sought advice from his coach, who was sitting in the stand. Sorensen was unfazed by these antics.
"It happens all the time," smiled the Irishman.
Pless may well have been annoyed by how Sorensen closed down that second set with an ace.
Service breaks gave Pless a comfortable advantage in the final set. But Sorensen made him fight all the way.
"He has a great forehand and is a terrific fighter," said the Dane of Sorensen.
The Scot Alan Mackin arrived in Dublin with impressive credentials. He was the world's number one under-18 player three years ago and played a protracted Wimbledon tie last week against Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who lost to Roger Federer in the Australian Open final.
Niland dropped a tense opening set on an equally tense tiebreak. At this stage the Limerick man had earned the respect of the Scottish number three. But Mackin, just two places behind Andrew Murray in the Scottish rankings, won the second set 6-1.
