rousing close with a 6-4, 5-7, 8-6 win over Gill Butterfield in a women's singles final that lasted three hours and 10 minutes at Coral Beach Club on Saturday.

Butterfield was attempting to provide herself an early birthday present and such was her determination at the end that she staved off four match points.

But Laporte had the last say in a match that was a far cry from the men's final, which saw Andre Dupre crush Brian Way 6-1, 6-0.

"I really felt that I was going to give myself an early birthday present after winning the second set,'' said Butterfield, "because I felt I really had her going. But that 10-minute break gave her new life and took away my momentum.'' With that match, many feel women's tennis finally came of age during the tournament and much of the credit goes to the finalists, as they held the full attention of a large crowd.

Butterfield went into the match as underdog to the younger teaching professional out of Delray Beach, Florida, who is currently ranked fifth in the USTA 35s division.

The local player saved a match point at 4-5, 30-40 in the second set and two more in the decider at 3-5, 15-40 before finally succumbing when Laporte broke at 15 in the 14th game, the end coming when Butterfield netted an attempted drop shot from the baseline. The pair earned a standing ovation at the end.

"We both play a similar type of game, staying back,'' said champion Laporte, while catching her breath at the end, "but for a while there I thought it (the match) was gone.

"On the second last game I started to change my tactics by hitting on the rise, hitting shorter angles on her because I realised the deeper I hit the better she would play. The main thing is we both `gutted' it out.'' Dupre made it an American sweep of the singles in disposing of a tentative Way in less than one hour.

"Several times he had me well behind the line and did not press his advantage by coming to the net, so this gave me a chance to hit down the line, which is my favourite shot,'' said Dupre. "Plus, I felt very good returning service.'' Way was aceepting of defeat. "He is better than I am. Maybe not 6-1, 6-0, but he should have won because his overall game is better than mine.

'' All was not lost for Butterfield as she gained a measure of revenge in the mixed doubles final.

She and Mike Curry beat Laporte and Way 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, thus preventing Laporte from claiming a hat-trick of titles.

Way did have something to smile about in the end as he and Stuart Smith defeated Curry and John Moore 6-4, 6-2 in the men's doubles final.

The women's doubles 40 final saw Gretchen Devlin and Daphne Whitman outlast Jan Quin and Yvonne van Nostrand 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 while King van Nostrand eased by Wally Stimpson 6-0, 6-1 in the men's 55 final. Van Nostrand then teamed with wife Yvonne for a 6-2, 6-0 triumph over Butterfield and Stimpson in the century mixed doubles final.

Action continues this week with the Coral Beach Club Invitational Championships taking centre stage.

Bermudian Gary Weller has already produced an upset with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over fifth seed Nick Hoppe.

GILL BUTTERFIELD -- Came out on losing end of BLTC Invitational's best match.