R2: Anna SMITH (GBR) (1) 361 vs Olivia SCARFI (GBR) 870
R2: Yasmin CLARKE (GBR) (4) 636 vs Myrtille GEORGES (FRA) WC UNR
R2: Laura ROBSON (GBR) (Q) UNR vs Marina MELNIKOVA (RUS) (2) 553

Junior Wimbledon Champion Laura Robson is competing in her first ever ITF women's event this week in Limoges, France. Being 14 years old, Laura is restricted to a maximum of 8 women's events before her 15th birthday, and then just a further 10 before she turns 16, so it will be some time before we see her inside the top 100 of the women's game.

Limoges is a $10K event, the lowest level of prize money available on the ITF circuit and the only top 500 player competing is Anna Smith. Other brits in Limoges this week include Emily Webley Smith, Yasmin Clarke, Olivia Scarfi, Nicola Mooney and Lucy Warbuton.

As this is her first women's event Laura needed to play qualifying, defeating unranked Anna Naumova 6-1 6-3 and then Alize Lim, ranked 964, convincingly 6-2 6-0 to gain a place in the main draw. Unfortunately, neither Nicola nor Lucy could make it through qualifying this week.

At the moment there are 28 british women with a professional ranking. In order to join them Laura needs to gain points in 3 events. In a $10k tournament points are awarded to players who win one or more rounds in the main draw. Laura's hard fought first round win over Alice Balducci of Italy 6-7(4) 7-5 6-4, is a first step towards earning herself a ranking in the women's game. Despite struggling to hold serve throughout the contest, Laura managed to break her opponent's serve eleven times in total to win the match. In the next round she faces the second seed Marina Melnikova.

There were also first round wins for Yasmin Clarke, Olivia Scarfi and top seed Anna Smith but a somewhat surprising defeat for Emily Webley Smith.

-- Edited by kundalini at 22:33, 2008-09-16

Laura lost 4-2 retired

Oh dear - really hope not serious

News, from tennisforum, is that she has pulled out of next weeks event.

Whatever it is I just hope she waits for it to fully heal as the last thing we want is to have an injury lingering over her in the future

QF: Anna SMITH (GBR) (1) 363 beat Nathalie MOHN (FRA) 916 6-2 6-1

SF: Anna SMITH (GBR) (1) 363 v Valeria SAVINYKH (Q) (RUS) UNR

F: CLARKE (GBR) / SCARFI (GBR) (2) beat DUKO (BLR) / GASANOVA (RUS) (1) 7-6 (5) 5-7 (10-8)

-- Edited by Sally at 21:32, 2008-09-19

Semi-final:

Valeria SAVINYKH (RUS) defeated Anna SMITH (GBR) (1) 3-6 7-5 6-2