Sarah Borwell (Nunthorpe) was the last British survivor in the ITF 25,000-dollar Welsh International Women's Open last week in Cardiff.

The Durham and Cleveland player, placed ninth in the British order of merit, reached the semi-finals as a qualifier and for the second time this summer carried the national flag with distinction before going out to a Russian Irina Boulykina.

The Teessider (pictured) was world ranked 402 at the start of the tournament. But two wins in qualifying and another three in the main draw realised a last four place, some 1,078 dollars in prize money, but perhaps more importantly, 11.5 ranking points to boost her position considerably.

The Tennis World Middlesbrough player was particularly pleased with her performance in round two in disposing of Italy's Guilia Casoni, the seventh seed, by 6-3 4-6 6-3. "That was a big win for me," she said.

"Guilia is a well established competitor recently ranked as high as 80 in the world."

The semi-final was a close affair lasting some two hours and ten minutes and the second set went with serve until the 11th game which Sarah broke to love. She had found more rhythm and was moving better and served out with confidence.

The improvement was there to see in the decider as she took a 5-2 lead as the Russian relaxed. But Miss Boulykina recovered her composure and gradually hauled herself back into the contest. She collected three games in a row to draw level, at which points the Las Vegas-based Teessider faltered slightly to lose her next serve. The Russian held her own to love and moved into the final.

"I was pleased with my week," said Miss Borwell, the only Briton in the last four and one of only two in the quarter-finals.

She had made the main draw after knocking out Jenny Broughall (Wales) and Helen Ejeson (Sweden) in qualifying. A first round win over Slovakia's Lenka Tvaroskova by 6-3 6-4 was followed by the surprise success against Miss Casoni. An easier quarter-final passage over Russia's Nina Bratchikova, for the loss of three games only, brought her the good pay day of a semi-final place.

"I am confident at the moment, not because of this week, but knowing I can come close to higher ranked players.

Results: Final: Sybille Bammer (Aut) bt Irina Boulykina (Rus) 6-0 6-2; semi-finals Bammer bt Sandra Kloessel (Ger) 7-5 6-1; Boulykina bt Sarah Borwell (D and C) 6-2 5-7 7-5.

Quarter-finals: Kloessel bt Jane O'Donoghue (Lan) 2-6 6-3 6-2; Bammer bt Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) 6-2 6-0; Boulykina bt Francesca Lubliani (Ita) 6-2 6-3; Browell bt Nina Bratchikova (Rus) 6-1 6-2.

Round two: O'Donoghue bt Olha Lazarchuk (Ukr) 6-3 6-1; Borwell bt Guilia Casoni (Ita) 6-4 2-6 6-3; Bratchikiva bt Chantal Coombs (Ke) 6-3 7-5.