TENNIS:James McGee and Rachel Dillon, two Dublin tennis prospects on scholarship at American universities while anticipating full-time careers in the sport, lifted the prestigious national indoor tennis titles at the Riverview Club on New Year's Eve.

McGee, seeded two and operating out of North Carolina State University, admitted afterwards that he had to be at his very best to beat Malahide's Colin O'Brien.

McGee said: "Colin played really well and I had to raise my awareness levels and go for my shots with persistence."

O'Brien had clearly shaken McGee's confidence when taking the middle set for the loss of only two games en route to a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 defeat.

McGee was particularly pleased to finish the year in such style.

"I have been working really hard in America over the past six months and have played in numerous tournaments there," he explained.

McGee won the Irish Close Championship in 2007.

Rachel Dillon, based at the University of California (Berkeley), was a straight-sets winner over the sprightly Mariyana Levova, the Bulgarian-born youngster who persistently tries to knock the cover off the ball.

Dillon had to deploy special tactics to overcome the number three seed's challenge 6-3, 6-1.

"I knew I had to deny Mariyana the opportunity to generate pace and played a lot of slice for she is a very formidable opponent when borrowing pace off the ground," said a delighted Dillon, who is often in contact with the former Irish Davis cup player Peter Wright, coach to the men's team at Berkeley.

Levova accounted for the Welsh international and top seed Olivia Scarfi at the semi-final stage and was full of confidence going into the decider.

She won the junior title last year but on this occasion Dillon's greater experience and tactical awareness told decisively against the teenager.