Neil Slater, a virtual unknown in local tennis circles, not only pulled off a minor upset when he took on the heavily favoured Leslie Stowe at the Tennis Stadium, but he achieved it in straight sets - 6-0, 7-6 (5) - during second round action at the Argus Open.

After breaking his racquet in the first game and having to use a borrowed one, Stowe, for the remainder of the opening set, looked like a minnow in a whale tank, floundering around without any direction.

In a battle of lefthanders, Slater snatched the advantage early on and stayed focused even under pressure in the second set to claim his first major scalp.

Stowe had an opportunity to send the match to a third set when he broke his opponent in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead, but was unable to hold serve thus setting the stage for the tiebreak which he lost.

Meanwhile, the top mixed doubles team of Ashley Brooks and Jovan Whitter spluttered briefly before defeating the experienced pair of John Moore and Carol Reid 6-2, 6-0.

The teenaged pair of Brooks and Whitter opened with a break of Moore, one of the most experienced doubles players on the Island, in the first game, then both held and broke Reid for a quick 4-0 lead.

Moore then showed his experience and guile with some fine shots that even his well-placed opponents couldn't match as he and his partner won their first game, but Whitter and Brooks then ran off seven of the next eight for the match.

Meanwhile, Roger Marshall disposed of Blair Rance in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-2 in a contest of former top youth players both now in the plus-35 age bracket.

"We were all over the place," admitted Marshall after the contest. "We both knew what we wanted to do out there, but for some reason the racquets were not cooperating."

In the seniors section veteran Vernal Davis defeated Burton Butterfield 6-3, 6-0, while Gary Weller got past Phillip Nearon 6-1, 6-1.

The 11-year-olds continued to shine in the tournament as Cayla Cross won her second seniors match, this time in the `B' division when she defeated Valerie Constable 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 and 11-year-old Kitwana teamed with her father, Sam Maybury, to win her first ever seniors match over E. Smith and E. Pringle 6-4, 6-1.