Tennis / Wimbledon '94: Delgado is dominant

JAMIE DELGADO, the promising young British player, progressed to the semi-finals of the boys' singles at Wimbledon yesterday. The unseeded 17-year-old from Maidenhead faced the American Paul Goldstein, ranked No 13, in his quarter- final, but cruised through comfortably.

Delgado gained an early break in the first set and dominated the exchanges. He went to 5-3 up as he held his serve to love, and then serving for the set at 5-4, produced a magnificent forehand volley to go to 30-15. Two service winners then sealed the set.

Delgado's dominance was emphasised in the second set. He broke the American in the fifth game, and another break in the seventh gave him a 5-2 lead. Delgado served out to take the second set 6-2.

Martina Hingis, the 13- year-old Swiss prospect, beat the Russian Anna Kurnikova 6-4, 6-4 in a girls' singles quarter-final match between the two highly regarded youngsters. Ireland's Karen Nugent was beaten 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 by Korea's No 5 seed Mi-Ra Jeon.

In the senior event, the defending champions and No 5 seeds Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde reached the final of the men's doubles at Wimbledon yesterday when they beat the South African Wayne Ferreira and Michael Stich, of Germany, 6-2, 7-6,

6-2.

The Australians now face either the No 2 seeds Grant Connell, of Canada, and Patrick Galbraith, of the United States, or the No 14 ranked Marc Goellner, of Germany, and the Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov.