Less than ten miles away from where Anne Keothavong was playing in Lebanon, street-fighting in Beirut between Hezbollah and Shia militia had left almost 40 people dead. At the beach resort of Jounieh, however, there was relative peace and calm as Keothavong won her third tournament of the year yesterday to reach a career-high ranking just outside the top 100 to place her within reach of direct entry into Wimbledon, something that no British woman has achieved since 1999

“I always said I wanted to be involved in a bit of an adventure,” was the 24-year-old British No 1’s reaction to a week of encouragement for her country’s women’s tennis, where shoots of optimism have been as rare as completed matches at the BNL D’Italia Masters in Rome this week. “Where we were you wouldn’t have had an idea anything was wrong, but, of course, it’s been an anxious time because there was no way to know that the trouble wasn’t going to spread,” Keothavong said. “Most of us have been worried about how we are going to get out, because the airport in Beirut has been shut down.”

A couple of French players wanted to escape by boat to Cyprus but were told that their safety could not be guaranteed. Keothavong’s plan last night involved a tiring journey across unfriendly terrain to Damascus, the capital of Syria, to make her way home from there. “I’m feeling pretty relaxed about the whole thing,” she said. “It’s the kind of attitude I’ve brought to my tennis, as well.”

Keothavong defeated Lourdes Dominguez Lino, the Spanish No 4, 6-4, 6-1 in the final in Jounieh after victories in Italy and Greece that have underscored her decision two months ago to part company with Simon Walsh, her LTA-designated coach, and strike out on her own. “I’m doing this on a shoestring, it’s tough at times, but I’m plugging away and trying to have fun, which is what matters,” she said. “Women’s tennis in Britain seems to be in a better position than it has for some time, with myself, Katie O’Brien, Elena Baltacha and Mel South all inside the top 150. We’re all out there trying the best we can and things are looking up.”

Keothavong will attempt to qualify for the French Open this month, but when the entry list for Wimbledon is issued her ranking will be good enough to guarantee a British place in the main draw, the first since Sam Smith nine years ago. The progress of a handful of British women also justifies the award of wild cards into Wimbledon when the recipients are announced in three weeks’ time. The same cannot be said for the men of whom one, Josh Goodall, whose rise of 107 places year-on-year has taken him to No 267, is heading in the direction that merits a spot in the biggest tournament in the world.

Djokovic close to No 2

Novak Djokovic closed to within a whisker of the No 2 ranking in the world with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, who, by virtue of his remarkable run at the BNL D’Italia Masters, has become the newest member of the world’s top ten. Djokovic, who claimed his maiden grand-slam tournament victory in Australia in January, added this prestigious title to that from Indian Wells in March. Should he reach the quarter-finals in Hamburg this week and Rafael Nadal, who is suffering from blistered feet, take the week off, thus surrendering points gained from last year’s win, the Serb will leapfrog the Spaniard.