TENNIS/The Trilogy: Stage it and they will come. The first Trilogy event, with a few minor flaws, saw off the critics and naysayers. Two 22-year-old schoolmates, Sean Collins and Ciaran Duggan, finally pulled off what some sections of the market and ill-informed media opinion said would not happen. They and their investors may break even, they may lose money, but this weekend the RDS provided Dublin with an event it had never seen the like of before.

Serena Williams, with three Grand Slams this year alone, her sister Venus, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati, all players ranked at one stage in their careers as the best in the world, served up to a capacity crowd a vigorous brand of tennis full of grip and drive.

Nothing played in Ireland has approached the intensity and oomph that 19-year-old Elena Bovina and Venus Williams, particularly, spread around the 4,650 fans crammed into the Simmonscourt Pavillion on Saturday.

The high-geared ability displayed in that match alone was worth the cover charge, and while the American team was vastly superior in strength throughout the three days, it is a feature that the organisers will attempt to address when they stage the event next year. No decision has been made where it will take place, although Collins' preference is to move it between Ireland and the US.

In that respect the players will have a say. They were unanimous that playing in Dublin was one of the attractions. Despite the glamour of professional tennis, the players actually get bored with the same cities year in year out.

"Fiscally, if we break even we're happy, and if we owe a bit then okay," said Collins after the Taoiseach had presented Capriati with the winning trophy.

"This should have made an unbelievable amount of money on TV rights and sponsors. We approached sponsors a year and a half ago. There was interest, but they said you've got to do it first, so we did, and when we came back they said their budgets were gone.

"The market basically said, no way this is going to take place. People didn't believe it could happen. There was so much scepticism out there.

"The TV revenue was pathetic for what we had, but next year we intend to have a bigger and better event. Maybe it will alternate between Ireland and the States, but I don't know how realistic that will be."

Both Justine Henin, the Wimbledon finalist last year and French star Amelie Mauresmo were lined up to come before pulling out, Mauresmo with an injury. With Jelena Dokic also withdrawing because of an ankle injury, Europe was clearly depleted.

But with Bovina ranked 26, Anna Kournikova down in the 30s and the world number eight Daniela Hantuchova all resolutely determined to find something positive to take with them to the first major of the next season, the Australian Open, the matches were demonstrably more than hit and giggle exhibitions.

The world number one, Serena Williams, stuttered through her game against Iva Majoli, ranked 32. Jet-lagged, Williams visibly raised and dropped her tempo, the awesome power only coming on stream when she found herself in a jam. Her 7-5, 6-4 win in a match where she dropped serve four times gave the US a 5-0 lead over Europe.

"I'd played Iva a couple of times before. You gotta watch her," she said. "She's very sneaky and moves the ball around a lot. Now that's going to go against my permanent record."

Her older sister's match against Bovina was also expected to be a formality, but the six-foot two-inch Muscovite truly brought the event to life, losing the first set 6-3 before fighting back in the second and third to win 6-4, 7-5.

Matching Venus for athleticism and physique, Bovina relentlessly attacked the net, forcing her opponent to pass her. Normally Williams puts a stop to that tactic by zinging balls at will to the back court, leaving her opponents confused as to what to try next.

But Bovina, with her rangy span and deft racquet control, mined that zone and came away with a rare win over the world number two.

"I don't think I underestimated her," said Venus. "I missed a lot in the second and third (set) and she went for broke. Everything went in for her today."

Capriati wrapped up the 7-1 US victory with a three-set win over the wispy Hantuchova, the European taking the first set 4-6 before the world number three robustly replied 6-4, 6-4.

Then they left, Serena Williams lining up her fourth successive Grand Slam in the Melbourne sun, her sister the most likely to deny her that achievement, Collins and Duggan's smiles saying it all to those who doubted.