TENNIS:JAMES McGEE ensured the continuation of home interest in the Green Property Irish Men's Open when he advanced to the semi-final stage at the Fitzwilliam Club yesterday.

The Ireland Davis Cup player had not dropped a set in his two previous matches, and he maintained that satisfactory pattern as he saw off the challenge of France’s Simon Cauvard on a 6-3 6-4 margin.

But hopes of a double Irish presence at the penultimate stage were dashed when number two seed, Miloslav Mecir, of Slovakia, recorded a 6-4 6-1 win over number eight seed Colin O’Brien.

Unseeded Cauvard had loomed as a serious threat to fifth-seed McGee, as he upset the form book by eliminating the fourth seed, Belgium’s 493-ranked Alexandre Folie, in the opening round before ending the hopes of Irish under-18 number one John Morrissey in three sets in the second round.

But two breaks of serve by 509th-ranked McGee, as against one by 1,128th-ranked Cauvard, in the opening set, and another break in the second set, proved sufficient for the 23-year-old Dubliner to clinch his place in the last four.

“I broke him in the second game of the first set, and then went 4-1 up,” said McGee, who took a set off Lithuania’s 132nd-ranked Ricardas Berankis in the Davis Cup tie earlier this month.

“However, after holding serve in the sixth game, he broke back to go 3-4, but I broke back straight away, and then served out for the set.

“In the second set, I broke him at 2-2, and then the rest of the games went with serve until the end of the match.”

The Castleknock man said he was particularly pleased that he retained his composure and confidence right through the contest.

“I didn’t panic at any stage, and stayed focused right through,” he pointed out.

“And that was particularly important after he broke me back in the first set.

“If he had held his serve in the next game, it would have been a huge morale boost for him, but thankfully I broke back straight away.

“In the second set he served very well, and most unusually he served-and-volleyed a lot even on his second serve. But I managed to break him at 2-2 when he was 30-40 down on his serve with a forehand service return.”

Mecir chalked up two service breaks to O’Brien’s one in the first set, before breaking the 26-year-old Dubliner twice in the second set.

“He upped his game in the second set, and he’s very quick around the court, and never gets flustered,” said O’Brien.