Young stars light up Nationals

Elena Baltacha eased through in straight sets

Teenagers Elena Baltacha and Annabel Blow underlined their potential with impressive wins at the National Championships on Tuesday.

Baltacha overwhelmed Kerry Hughes 6-0 6-3, while Blow beat Julie Smith 6-1 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals in Bolton.

Baltacha and Blow are part of a group rated by Keith Wooldridge, the head of women's tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association, as "the best women's prospects since Jo Durie".

Baltacha is now coached by Durie and puts much of her improvement down to Durie's tutelage.

Delgado in action on Tuesday

"I used to try to smack winners all over the place and I didn't know what to do if they weren't going in," said Baltacha.

"But now I feel more confident with myself, I am digging in and practising to a far higher standard."

Men's second seed Jamie Delgado beat James Smith 6-3 7-6 (7-3) to set up an exciting quarter-final against reigning champion Lee Childs.

Childs, pushed all the way in his first round match, produced a more composed 6-1 6-4 victory over Simon Dickson.

Delgado, the champion two years ago, admitted: "My form has been mediocre so far. I just need to pick up my approach and I need to liven up a bit more.

"I'd love to win this tournament again. If I concentrate on my game and try to impose myself on Lee, I will stand a good chance."

Arvind Parmar also went through after a 7-5 6-4 win over national junior champion Richard Bloomfield.