Fighting Irish progress at Castleknock

LEADING Irish players Yvonne Doyle and Karen Nugent are putting it up to the foreign invasion at the Ellesse Irish Women’s Open Tennis Championship at Castleknock.

The Irish pair won their singles encounters and also advanced to the doubles, but there was no joy for young hotshot Rachael Dillon, who could not match New Zealand’s Paula Marama.

Doyle lost a first set tie-break to Britain’s Elizabeth Thomas but that was the only scare for the Dubliner, who went on to win 6-7 6-2 6-1.

Karen Nugent only dropped one game on her way to victory over Swede Anna Viktona Lind.