Caitlin Gordon, the 13-year-old member of the Island?s youth Fed Cup team, captured the biggest scalp of her young tennis life yesterday when she not only upset the women?s top seed and heavily favoured Lavern Stowe in straight sets 6-1, 6-3, in the semi-finals of the Heineken Open, but she did it in convincing fashion at the W.E.R. Joell Tennis Stadium.

With a hushed crowd watching every stroke by both players in anticipation, young Gordon was relentless once she had got on top and she did not let up.

She jumped off to a 3-0 lead after breaking Stowe in the second game and held in the third. Once Stowe held serve in the fourth game to trail 1-3, the gallery thought that she would now make up charge. Her young opponent had something to say about that, and it wasn?t good for her opponent. Gordon ran off three straight games for the first set and set the stage for a glorious victory.

In the second set, Stowe came out gunning, breaking Gordon in the first game and holding for a 2-0 lead. Then Gordon tightened her grip on her opponent, and the match, by winning five straight games and a 5-2 lead, one game away from her biggest ever victory.

?At that point the adrenaline was flowing so great I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest,? admitted Gordon. ?Lavern held for 5-3, all I could see was victory and when I served out the set to win the match I was just elated beyond belief.?

?It was unbelievable at first and it took me a while to settle down, but from the first point I had my heart in this match and I just willed myself to victory.?

She will now face another teenager in Saturday?s final in Morgan Lightbourne, who advanced into the final following her 6-3, 6-3 victory over Elizabeth Osborne.

In the day?s other exciting match, David Jenkins held off Brent Smith in a three hour, three set marathon ? easily the longest match of the tournament ? winning 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (9-7).

In other action Eldon Daniels defeated Jan Jarmula 7-5, 4-0 (retired) and young David Thomas ended the run of another 13-year-old future star Naim Azhar, winning 6-1, 6-0, while the Leader brothers Earl and Erwin teamed to oust Oliver Bain and Bill Nearon 6-4, 6-4.

Cayla Cross found herself on the short end of another result this week when she was defeated in straight sets by Eiran Lloyd Jones 6-0, 6-3, while Jacklyn Lambert beat Beverelyn Hall 6-4, 6-1 and Rhonda Caza ousted Wendy Ryland 6-2, 6-1.

Today?s anticipated headline will be the meeting of top seed Andy Bray and Mike Curry while second seed James Collieson will take on the tired David Jenkins in the other semi-final.