British pair unable to jump the final hurdle

Elena Baltacha and Anne Keothavong, the first British girls' singles semi-finalists here since Annabel Croft in 1984, saw their hopes of a first all-British final ended yesterday when they both lost their respective last-four ties. The results were personal disappointments, not least for Baltacha, who was a set ahead and took her opponent to a second-set tie-break before losing in three, but there are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the progress of the pair, who are both 17.

Keothavong, who had come from behind to win her previous match, despite suffering from a thigh problem that had not completely gone by yesterday, was beaten in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, by the No 15 seed Dinara Safina, of Russia.

Safina, the sister of the men's world No 3 player Marat Safin is one of several young Russians who are tipped to make the grade at senior level and losing was no disgrace. Baltacha, who was the highest seed, at No 6, left in the event yesterday, was beaten by No 8 seed Angelique Widjaja, of Indonesia, 5-7, 7-6, 6-2.

"My opponent today was a tough one," said Baltacha, who is the daughter of Sergei, the former Dynamo Kiev and Ipswich defender. "She was younger than me, I felt like a granny. I fought hard and I played well and I had my chances, but on the day I wasn't good enough."

Baltacha was relatively unknown until this summer but has made rapid progress in recent months, not least by taking several scalps of much higher-ranked players in the Powder Byrne trophy in Surbiton last month and by qualifying for the main draw at Eastbourne. She also gave a decent account of herself – in the second set at least – in the first round of the women's singles when she lost to Nathalie Dechy of France.

That match was switched to Centre Court at short notice, and it was to Baltacha's credit that she still managed to provide Dechy with decent opposition despite her nerves. She also managed to hit a serve at 118mph – the third fastest seen in any of the women*s events at the championships this year. Only the Williams sisters have been faster.

"I've had a fantastic three weeks, in Surbiton, in Eastbourne and now here," Baltacha said. "I've been playing good tennis and doing my best. And I've learnt a lot. I need to move forward more, I need to see more balls and take them in the air, I need to improve my vision and reading of the game, I'm not quick enough, I need a higher percentage of first serves."

Baltacha's contest yesterday was not ever the prettiest to watch, not least as she wasted break-point after break -point in the opening set by hitting her powerful groundstrokes either long, wide or into the net. But it had its moments, including a fine pass for Baltacha to move to 6-5 in the first and then some decent rallies before she broke for 7-5. And the tie, for all its breaks of serve (11 in all, seven of them against Baltacha) and for all its reliance on play from the baseline, gave a small insight of what Baltacha is capable of.

She can serve well, she can play strong shots, on both sides, with her double-handed backhand. She is learning to control herself when she falls behind. And, most importantly, she knows she still has a lot to learn. "I'll be back," she said. Her and Keothavong both.