Irish trio book spots in final round

IRISH trio Barry King, Sam Barry and Amy Bowtell yesterday nailed down places in the final round of qualifying in their respective ITF events in Glasgow.

After receiving first round byes in the men’s tournament, Dubliner King, the No 4 seed was leading 6-0 2-0 when Swedish opponent Viktor Stjern decided he was unable to continue in the match due to an arm injury.

And Limerick’s Barry, the No 10 seed, defeated Britain’s James Ireland on a 6-4 6-0 scoreline.

Today, both Irish players bid to secure entry into the 48-strong main draw.

King is fancied to overcome Marshal Tutu, holding a world ranking place of 882 compared to the 18-year-old Briton’s mark of 1,341.

But 1,213-ranked Barry, who won’t turn 19 until later this month, will have it all to do against AlexandrePenaud, with the Frenchman being seeded No 5 and ranked at 918.

In the women’s event, Greystones’ Bowtell scored a 6-4 6-0 win over Briton Emily Rodbourne to set up a final round clash against British No 7 seed, Jennifer Ren.