The anticipated `fireworks? of the semi-finals failed to materialise at the CBC Invitational tennis tournament at the Coral Beach and Tennis Club yesterday.

In the two men?s semis neither measured up to expectations when the second-seeded American Mark Jacobson powered his way past a somewhat subdued Sam Maybury in straight sets 6-0, 6-1 and top seed and accountant Andy Bray eased by former number one Michael Way 6-3, 6-2.

American top seeds and defending Ladies Doubles champions Ann Jacobs and Carolyn McCoy successfully navigated past the local combination of Gill Butterfield and Veronica Dunkerley 6-2, 6-3 to move into tomorrow?s final to face the powerful combination of Leonie MacLoughlin and Elizabeth Hartley or the dangerous local duo of Laverne Stowe and Ashley Brooks.

There was a hushed crowd watching the action on Centre Court during the morning?s play when Maybury, the athletic magician of the local tennis courts, took on the bold, hard-hitting Georgian, Mark Jacobson.

But it was the Atlanta native who took the thunder away from Maybury and the supportive crowd from the beginning when he broke Maybury right at the start. Then when Jacobson held at 15 and broke Maybury at love, the writing was on the wall.

It took Jacobson just 17 minutes to complete the first set demolition. As it turned out, Jacobson just had too much power for Maybury who was simply outclassed.

When the excitement was knocked out of that one, there was high expectation from the Way v Bray battle. That had somewhat of a better beginning when Way held serve to win the first game. But the downward trail started in the third game when Bray broke Way?s serve, with the Englishman dominating completely after that.

Way?s defeat coupled with Maybury?s demise, has now set the stage for the meeting of the number one Bray against number two Jacobson ? power against power.

That anticipated contest will wait its turn, however, for today the Ladies are taking the spotlight, in combination with a couple of other highly-anticipated battles.

First the top-ranked father and son doubles team of John and Mark Jacobson are expected to be fully tested by the solid pair of Stuart Smith and Mark Cordeiro and the winners will face the victors of the battle between the Way brothers, Michael and Brian, who go against Roger Marshall and Vandoonick ? a newcomer from Scandinavia.

In between these games there will feature the hard-hitting Leonie MacLoughlin from England ? teaming up with Elizabeth Hartley against the highly-fancied Bermudian duo of Laverne Stowe and Ashley Brooks.

Stowe and Maybury were beaten 6-1, 6-4 by Ann Jacobs and Stuart Smith with Jacobs returning to partner Carolyn McCoy to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Butterfield and Dunkerley to move into the Ladies Doubles final where they will defend their title tomorrow. While Jacobs and McCoy were moving on, so were MacLoughlin and Hartley who beat Heidi Boyle and her American partner Linda Goad 6-0, 6-3 and will face the top seeds Stowe and Brooks today.

In one other top match scheduled for today, the defending champions in the Century Mixed section, Janet Green and Earl Leader, will put their title on the line when they face the crafty Ann Jacobs and John Moore, while the week?s first title will be decided this morning when Bob Stewart will partner the ?God Father? of the tournament, Dick Mount of the Longwood Cricket Club of Boston in the Men?s 65 Doubles against M. Gorton and P. O?Kelly.

Then this afternoon Mount will be on Centre Court again to face the veteran Bermudian Allan Simmons in the Men?s 65 Singles final.