Boev eases into NCB tennis final

Women's top seed, Michaela Boev of Belgium is yet to drop a game as she cruised into the final of the NCB Capital Markets Tennis Open after registering a straight-sets, 6-0, 6-0 victory over Jamaica's Ffion Fletcher on yesterday's fourth and penultimate day of action at the Liguanea Club.

Boev, who is the Women's Tennis Association's 839-ranked player, had on Friday brushed aside another Jamaican, Lisa Chin, also 6-0, 6-0.

The Belgian will on today's final day, which is set to serve off at 3 p.m., face either good friend and doubles partner Simone Vranov-Brown of the United States or Jamaica's Tinesta Rowe for the purse of US$1,000.

Vranov-Brown and Rowe were at press time getting ready to contest the other semi-final.

"It was a fun match for me, we had some really good rallies and I felt the court better," the 20-year-old Boev expressed while pointing out that despite the scoreline there were challenging moments.

"Numbers don't say everything, like today we had a few games that could have gone both ways, but I just have to stay focused for the final," Boev stated. "I don't know who I am going to play yet, so I will take a little look at the match and prepare as I would prepare for any other match; it is going to be interesting and I will be ready," she added.

Fletcher, who had her left thigh wrapped at the end of the first set, said she could have given a better showing if she was 100 per cent.

Disappointed

"I am a little disappointed, but I can't play at my best with an injured leg," Fletcher reasoned. "I pulled my quad muscle around two weeks ago and I was hoping it would be 100 per cent by today, but I felt a little tweak this morning and I tried to treat it, but it came back," she added.

The four men, who have already pocketed US$1,000 for reaching the semi-finals and are now trying to get their hands on the top prize of US$6,000, are top seed Olivier Sajous of Haiti, second seed Hayden Lewis of Barbados, third seed Nikita Kryvonos of the United States and fourth seed Michael-Ray Pallerres of Dominican Republic.

Top seed Sajous is out of the tournament. He was beaten 7-6, 6-4 by Kryvonos in a hotly contested match. The first set lasted for one hour and 17 minutes. Lewis and Pallerres were yet to take the court in the other semi-final at press time.