Tara Moore has come a long way in a short space of time.
So questionable was the 21-year-old British No.4's approach to her tennis back in 2010 that she was expelled by the Lawn Tennis Association from using the National Tennis Centre, but that new-found commitment to her career was undeniable yesterday as she battled jetlag and France's Mallourie Noel to win through a low-key final round of qualifying for the AEGON Pro-Series event in Glasgow.
As recently as Thursday, amid temperatures in excess of 40° Celsius at Melbourne Park, she was going down to Japan's Erika Sema in Australian Open qualifying but, having been called up for Fed Cup service for the first time by Judy Murray - Great Britain will contest Europe-Africa Zone Group I in Hungary next month - here was Moore in the freezing fog of Glasgow, having caught a swift flight back to Scotland with some choice words in her ear.
"I didn't get too many matches over there so I wanted to get some in and try to find some rhythm before the Fed Cup," said Moore after her 6-3, 6-3 win. "I left around 1am on Friday morning, got back Friday afternoon British time, then drove up from London, stopping in Sunderland. I requested the first match of the day because I knew I would wake up around 5 or 6am, and would be crashing again around 3pm, because I've still got that middle-of-the-day/middle-of-the-night thing. I've always been around Judy; she has always been part of my tennis at the NTC, and is really hands on with us. She spoke to me after the Aussie Open and told me 'beware of the Glasgow kiss'. I was pretty dumfounded by that."
Moore, who won this event last year, finds travelling no great hardship, having been born in Hong Kong then spent six years of her career under the tutelage of the hugely-respected US coach Nick Bollettieri in Florida. Beaten narrowly by Estonia's Kaia Kanepi on her Wimbledon debut last year, she looks back ruefully on her misadventures at the NTC, knowing she is fortunate to have a second chance. "When I was younger it was that rebellious teenager phase but it is a demanding sport and you can't expect people to give you chance after chance after chance," she said. "I was young at the time and wasn't ready to be living by myself, but I have been back for a long time. I am working with a new coach in Jane O'Donoghue, there has been a change in my approach and everyone in my circle believes in me."
In the men's Futures event, Arbroath's Jonny O'Mara turned his ankle and had to retire against another wildcard entrant Toby Martin, but Bruce Strachan, a 19-year-old from Aberdeen, battled back to beat the English qualifier Robert Carter 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 and set up a second-round tie against the No.2 seed, Belgium's Maxime Authom.
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