Former British No.1 Anne Keothavong has sensationally become the first British woman player to reach a WTA tour event semi-final since Jo Durie at Edgbaston way back in 1992.

Fifteen years later, Keothavong, 24, is finally showing her junior potential on the full tour. In August, she won her first $50,000 ITF tour event Stateside and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the US Open for the first time through injury.  Since her successful few months on the lower ITF tennis tour, Keothavong has earned enough tour points to start competing in the bigger WTA events. And finally winning some matches.

Ok, Kolkata is not a place that springs to mind when you think of big tennis tournaments, but the Indian city has been playing host to a WTA Tier 3 tournament. Big names such as Maria Kirilenko of Russia, Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Indian favourite Sania Mirza are taking part in the tournament.

'Keothavong has been working on her mental approach to tennis matches'


Hackney-born Keothavong narrowly squeezed into the first round just having a high enough ranking to avoid the dreaded qualifying draw.  She had also complained at the start of the week from feeling unwell, but how things have changed around for the 24-year-old Brit. Admittedly Keothavong has avoided most of the top players in the tournament so far but the player can only play against who she comes up against in the draw!

Keothavong is currently ranked 144 in the world and had her best win in the first round against up-and-coming Italian star Sara Errani, ranked No.71 and a semi-finalist in Bali last week. A 6-4, 6-4 winner, the british girl's confidence obviously was on a high and she backed up this win with a demolition of Indian wildcard Sunitha Rao and the experienced Israeli world No.114 Tzipora Obziler.

In the semi-finals, Keothavong was due to meet another tour newcomer in Mariya Koryttseva of the Ukraine, actually ranked lower than her. This was an ideal chance for Keothavong to reach a WTA tour final for the first time. However, the young Ukrainian had already had impressive wins in the tournament over experienced Tatiana Poutchek and highly-rated American Vania King, who had previously defeated top-seeded Marion Bartoli.

Keothavong has been working on her mental approach to tennis matches. She is already guaranteed to be at a career high ranking when the new figures come out on Monday and if she'd have reached the final she could have entered the top 100.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be and she went out in straight sets to Koryttseva. But she is making steady progress and can be delighted with her performances in India this past week.

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