McGee keeps Irish Open hopes alive at Fitzwilliam

DUBLIN’S James McGee has kept alive hopes of a home success by clinching a semi-final place in the Green Property Irish Men’s Open.

The Davis Cup ace had not dropped a set in his two previous matches, and he maintained that satisfactory pattern as he sent France’s Simon Cauvard packing on a 6-3 6-4 scoreline at the Fitzwilliam Club yesterday.

But hopes of a double Irish presence at the penultimate stage were dashed when No 2 seed Miloslav Mecir, of Slovakia, recorded a 6-4 6-1 win over No 8 seed Colin O’Brien.

Unseeded Cauvard had loomed as a serious threat to No 5 seed McGee, as he upset the form book by eliminating the No 4 seed, Belgium’s 493-ranked Alexandre Folie, in the opening round before ending the hopes of Irish U-18 No 1 John Morrissey in three sets in the second round.

But two breaks of serve by 509-ranked McGee, as against one by 1,128-ranked Cauvard, in the opening set, and another break in the second set, proved sufficient for the 23-year-old Castleknock man to clinch his place in the last four.

“I broke him in the second game of the first set, and then went 4-1 up,” said McGee, who took a set off Lithuania’s 132-ranked Ricardas Berankis in the Davis Cup tie earlier this month.

“After holding serve in the sixth game, he broke back to go 3-4, but I broke back straight away, and then served out for the set.

“In the second set, I broke him at 2-2, and then the rest of the games went with serve until the end of the match.”

Magee said he was particularly pleased that he retained his composure and confidence right through the contest.

“I didn’t panic at any stage, and stayed focused right through,” he pointed out.

“And that was particularly important after he broke me back in the first set.

“In the second set he served very well, and most unusually he served-and-volleyed a lot even on his second serve.”

“But I managed to break him at 2-2 when he was 30-40 down on his serve with a forehand service return.”

Mecir chalked up two service breaks to O’Brien’s one in the first set, and then the No 2 seed broke the 26-year-old Dubliner twice in the second set.

“He upped his game in the second game, and he’s very quick around the court, and never gets flustered,” said O’Brien.