Tennis: Jones lifts ranking after Illinois result

New Zealand Davis Cup player GD Jones has scored his best-ever result in a Futures tennis event but was eventually defeated by top-seeded American Michael Yani.

Yani beat the 19-year-old 6-4, 6-2 at the US$10,000 Futures at Decatur in Illinois. But Jones' performance should mean his ranking improves around 50 places from its current position of 946.

In Tianjin, China, at a US$25,000 satellite, Adam Thompson lost in the semifinals to the top seed Yu Want 6-3, 6-2.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Fed Cup player Leanne Baker has won her first-round singles qualifying match at the US$140,000 Nordic Open in Stockholm. Baker beat Swede Mari Andersson 6-3, 6-4 and now faces Emma Laine of Finland.