Top-seeded Herb Bascome saved four match points as he battled from a set down and the brink of defeat to overcome the challenge of fellow American Don Thompson 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) during second-round action in the BLTC Invitational tennis tournament at the Coral Beach & Tennis Club yesterday.

Fighting for survival the American pair had the packed gallery ?oohing? and ?aahing? for nearly three hours as the seniors, both over the age of 65, enthralled the crowd with outstanding tennis.

After losing the first set when suffering two breaks, and trailing 3-2 in the second set, Bascome, the Devin, Pennsylvania resident had to, as one member of the crowd said ?pull up his socks before he will have to spend the rest of the tournament up here with us.?

Bascome must have heard the roar because he did just that even though his opponent refused to give in. In fact Thompson, playing in his first event at Coral Beach, wasn?t quite ready to give up his new-found status.

When leading 6-5 and up 40-15, everyone, except Bascome, felt the hammer coming down. That was averted when Bascome hit a perfect lob, followed by a cracking cross-court forehand for deuce. He then clipped the tape and hit a deft backhand drop shot that Thompson could only look and hope. Neither were successful.

When it was all over, Thompson said: ?He was just too good.? He could easily have added ?and lucky? if he had chosen to because there were times when Bascome truly needed a bit of divine help, and got it, when the ball hit the tape and scooted along the court or rolled over the net.

Things were not that much better for the second-seeded player in the Men?s 65 bracket even though George Lynch fared somewhat better, having to spend less than two hours in beating a game Joe Dippell 6-0, 6-4.

The real turning point in this encounter came in the second game of the second set when Dippell had six game points without winning one.

But that was par for the course for Dippell, who said: ?I knew from early on this match was going to finish, especially when I had 30 adds in the first three games and couldn?t win one!? He lost the first set 6-0.

In other action Ann Brown survived a two-and-a-half-hour battle with Sherry Davis before coming from a set down to move into the second round with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory and Bermudian Laverne Stowe defeated Scottie Digiacome 6-0, 6-1 in the Ladies 40 division.

In the Ladies Doubles 50 section the top-seeded pair of Christine Creeman and Janet Green defeated Elizabeth Ward and Elizabeth Ballou 6-1, 6-1 while Elizabeth Pearce Batten and Ann O?Brien surprised Jane Minto and Bev Dennis in the Ladies 40 section with a 6-1, 6-7(2), 6-1 victory.

Action went according to ranking in the Century Mixed division when top seeded pairs easily moved into the next round. Janet Green and Earl Leader beat Elizabeth and Earl Ward 6-1, 6-0, while Gill Butterfield and Brian Way got past the husband and wife duo of Mac and Craig Brand 6-1, 6-1, before Butterfield teamed with Pat Birch to beat Marge Day and Jane Grantham 6-3, 6-2 in the Ladies Doubles 50. Faith Bascome top seed in the Ladies 60s singles lost out to Marge Day 6-0, 6-2.