Teenage success offers rare glimpse of future promise

Two teenagers, Alex Bogdanovic, who is on the brink of his senior career, and Anne Keothavong, who almost quit the sport, were crowned Hastings Direct National Champions yesterday.

Their names may be exotic – along with that of Elena Baltacha, who was unable to compete because of injury – but the hard-pressed Lawn Tennis Association would be happy to conjure with them. At the conclusion of what may prove to be one of the more progressive weeks for the British game, Bogdanovic, 18, defeated Jamie Delgado, the 1999 champion, 7-5 6-2, and Keothavong, 19, out-played Julie Pullin, the 1996 and 1998 champion, 6-1 6-3.

Delgado, the third seed, could hardly have made a better start to his final. The 25-year-old from Warwickshire did not concede a point in his first two service games and returned well enough to break for 3-2. At that point Delgado's serve began to waver, and he double-faulted twice as Bogdanovic pulled back to 4-4.

The fourth-seeded Bogdanovic, the runner-up to Lee Childs last year, admitted that nerves contributed to his poor form in the opening games. He then began to settle into his familiar pattern of flowing strokes, his one-handed backhand passes across the court and down the line drawing much admiration. Delgado twice served to stay in the set, the second time, at 5-6, typifying how the momentum had switched: he double-faulted on the first point and was passed by an elegant forehand down the line for 15-30.

Confidence began to well in Bogdanovic, who was able to mix aces with double-faults without pain. He swept into a 3-0 lead in the second set and also had a break point in the fourth game before Delgado held serve. The quality of Bogdanovic's work was such that many observers would like to have been entertained longer, but he broke in the eighth game to take the title and the £5,000 first prize.

Keothavong received a similar sum for winning the women's title. Seeded No 3, she made light of the 26-year-old Pullin's top-seeding and experience and went through the tournament without dropping a set. Pullin, broken to love in her first service game, was out-manoeuvred, winning her only game of the opening set at 0-5. The chief difference between the first set and the second was that Keothavong twice lost her serve after winning the opening three games. Pullin became bolder, but her errors were no less frequent.

Voices of experience will influence where Bogdanovic and Keothavong go from here. Patrice Hagelauer, the LTA's director of performance, is monitoring Bogdanovic's move from the junior game. The Belgrade-born left-hander has parted from his coach, Tito Vasqueze, of Argentina, whom Hagelauer recruited to the LTA, in order to go it alone in search of maturity both as a player and a person.

Bogdanovic acknowledges, however, the importance of guidance. Peter Fleming, best known as John McEnroe's doubles partner, has agreed to coach for the LTA 20 weeks per year, and Bogdanovic is among those who can tap into the tall American's wisdom.

Tim Henman, the British No 1, who outgrew the Nationals long ago, has also helped Bogdanovic. "Tim's been through all this. He said, 'Don't rush it. When it's going to come it will come. Just focus on your goals'."

A year ago Keothavong became so demoralised that she came close to accepting a tennis scholarship at the University of California so she could be with friends enjoying college life. She decided to pursue her tennis career for another year, although poor results for most of the season strained her enthusiasm.

Keothavong arrived in Bolton fresh for the challenge after spending time between a busy schedule of matches in recent weeks taking advice from Tony Pickard, Stefan Edberg's former mentor. Keothavong is about to lose her coach, James Trotman, who is leaving to work with a Tunisian player, Selima Sfar, but Pickard has agreed to continue to help.

"It's great being able to talk to someone like Tony, who believes in me," Keothavong said. "That's the main thing. He has a very dry sense of humour." British tennis can have that effect on some people.