Gina Niland's bid ended in physical pain in the first round of the Rover-sponsored Irish Open championship at a blustery Riverview yesterday. The top Irish player was a set down and trailing 2-1 to her Fed Cup team-mate Yvonne Doyle when the effects of whiplash injury, sustained in a car accident over a year ago, forced her to retire. "The pain was going from my neck down my right arm. I knew it was hopeless, suddenly I couldn't stretch," said Niland.

Doyle was out to avenge her defeat in the recent Irish Close Championship but didn't wish it to end this way: "I was playing well and feeling optimistic of winning what was developing into a good match. It's not the same winning it like this".

While the match lasted, Doyle repeatedly undermined Niland's confidence with powerful ground-strokes, good angles and pin-point accuracy.

Britain's Karen Cross, the number two seed, also saw her ambitions blown away when she failed to cope with the forceful play of Russian Julie Lutrova who is 123 places adrift of Cross on the WTA computer. Cross's bid began to melt when the heavy-striking Lutrova turned on the steam to take the second set to love.

Kelly Liggan, a Fed Cup teammate of Doyle and Niland, caused a surprise when she despatched Vanessa Henke of Germany who is 129 places ahead of the Spanish-based Liggan in the world rankings.

Karen Nugent was ousted by Britain's Liz Jelfs in a match lasting almost three hours, but the Irish girl who had qualified against 0-5 final set odds on the previous day was unable to capitalise on a 2-0 and 30-love lead in the final set.

The holder and number three seed, Lucie Ahl of Devon, saw off the challenge of French entry Stephanie Testard 6-2, 6-2 while the top seed, Surina De Beer of South Africa, advanced by the same margin.