Slazenger Harrogate Open: An 18-year-old heralded a new era in local tennis when she toppled a rival who had held the title for the past six years.

Harrogate Grammar School pupil Rebecca Sowden battled for more than two-and-a-half hours to defeat hot favourite Sophie Jacob 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the final of the women's singles championship at the town's Racquets Club.

The two players served up the match of the tournament, but an upset soon seemed likely when Sowden shocked her Harlow rival by taking the first set.

Dogged determination saw Sowden (The Academy) dominate the opening encounter with some hard hitting play. But the champion, who took her first title in 1997, made a spirited comeback, taking the second set to force a showdown third.

Sowden showed real tenacity as she battled for supremacy managing to keep ahead of her rival in the third - but with Jacob always menacingly yapping at her heels.

Jacob made her young rival work hard for every point, producing few errors with Sowden having to carve out clear-cut winners to keep ahead in the absorbing battle.

Sowden's triumph was reward for the steady improvement she has shown under the guidance of her coach Jane Donald, the senior Yorkshire county player, at The Harrogate Academy.

Sowden appears for Leeds side Rawdon in the Premier National League, Rawdon in the Yorkshire Women's League First Division and The Academy in the Harrogate and District League. Despite playing in front of the biggest crowd she has experienced Sowden's nerve and serve held to steer her to victory - her most important since she started playing six years ago.

In the men's final Harrogate-based American pastor Doug Keen made it three titles on the trot when he defeated Jonathan Smail 6-0, 6-1.

Keen moved around the court with ease and while Smail captured some points it was nearly always The Academy player who took the decisive ones. Keen's success was aided by his penetrating forehands and greater accuracy than a rival, who plays for Harrogate Racquets.

The restricted event produced a father and daughter combination in the mixed doubles' final.

Lawrence Ireland and Gabriella Ireland from Thirsk put up a doughty challenge but were beaten 7-5 6-3 by Starbeck pairing Gary Saunders and Diana Lang.

Meanwhile, there was consolation in the main event for Sophie Jacob who took the mixed doubles with Simon Daly (Harlow) and the women's doubles with Nicola Pratt (Spa).

Tournament organiser Oliver Scaife is hoping that next year's event will be moved forward a week. The aim is to run the event in the week between the Queen's Championship and Wimbledon. The move will also avoid a clash with the Knaresborough Bed Race.

Scaife said approval of the annual meeting would be sought to make the change.

Meanwhile Scaife was pleased with a steadily rising entry and added: "Four or five years ago the event went through a rocky patch. But now it is coming back strongly and there seems no reason why there should not be even more entries next time. Entries in one or two sections were disappointing, but the event is back and becoming bigger each year."

Men Quarter Finals: Doug Keen (The Academy) beat Chris Dight (Spa) 6-2, 6-3; David Brown (The Academy) beat Richard Whiteley (The Academy) walk-over; Philipe Bourgeois (France) beat Tom Bentley (Spa) 6-4, 6-4; Jonathan Smail (Racquets) beat John Hargreaves (Racquets) 6-2, 6-1.

Semi Finals: Keen beat Brown 6-0, 6-1; Smail beat Bourgeois 6-1, 6-0.

Final: Keen beat Smail 6-0 6-1.

Women Semi Finals: Sophie Jacob (Harlow) beat Frederique Brown (Racquets) 6-2, 6-2; Rebecca Sowden (The Academy) beat Helen Broadwith (Bedale) 6-2, 6-0.

Final: Sowden beat Jacob 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

Other finals: Men's Doubles: Doug Keen (The Academy) and Ross Leventhal (The Academy) beat Graeme Campbell (Boroughbridge) and Ian Grasby (Boroughbridge) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Women's Doubles: Sophie Jacob (Harlow) and Nicola Pratt (Spa) beat Gaye Wright (Harlow) and Julie Bradley (Harlow) 6-1, 6-0.

Mixed Doubles: Simon Daly (Harlow) and Sophie Jacob (Harlow) beat Jonathan Tindall (Racquets) and Julie Bradley (Harlow) 6-2, 6-4.

Restricted finals: Men's Singles: Gary Saunders (Starbeck) beat David Tripp (Starbeck) 7-6, 6-4.

Men's Doubles: Grant Dorward (Starbeck) and David Tripp (Starbeck) beat Gary Ede (Harlow) and Jim McGuinness (Harlow) 6-4, 6-4.

Mixed Doubles: Gary Saunders (Starbeck) and Diana Lang (Starbeck) beat Lawrence Ireland (Thirsk) and Gabriella Ireland (Thirsk) 7-5, 6-3.

Harrogate and

District League

Division Two: The Academy A 7, Ben Rhydding 2.

Division Three: Harlow C 3.5 West Tanfield 5.5.

Division Four: Harlow D 4, Boroughbridge A 5.

Division Six: Ripon C 7, West Tanfield B 2; Thirsk C 4, Burton Leondard 5