Malta pair lose semi

Elaine Genovese and Kim Cassar failed in their bid to advance to the final of the doubles yesterday after losing their semi-final to Liechtenstein's Marina Novak and Kathinka von Deichmann 6-2 5-7 6-2. The defeat meant that the Maltese pair had to settle for a bronze medal.

Novak and Von Deichmann breezed through the first set, winning 6-2, but the Maltese refused to throw in the towel and did well to level the match after claiming the second set 7-5 to force a decider.

Novak and Von Deichmann, however, looked the fresher pair in the third set, quickly imposing their superiority to close the set at 6-2 and set up a final showdown with Mandy Minella and Claudine Schaul, of Luxembourg.

Yesterday, Minella and Schaul, the singles finalists, crushed Rebekak Petursdottir and Sandra Kristjansdott, of Iceland, 6-0 6-0.

The elimination of Genovese and Cassar from the women's doubles event ended Malta's participation in the Cyprus 2009 tennis competitions. The Maltese team will return home with a single bronze medal to show for their efforts.

This outcome, however, is still slightly better than two years ago in Monaco when the Maltese failed to win a medal in tennis for the first time since 1987.