It wasn't until after the match that compere Andy Nickeas revealed to the audience that today was Madeline Perry's birthday. He also tried to reveal the statistic that the Irish number one had lost five of her previous meetings with Tania Bailey, but Madeline stopped him in his tracks, she already knew that one.
"Maybe that's one of the reasons I was so determined on there tonight," she explained, "and also because after doing so well in the British Open I think of this as my special court and I want to do well on it."
After dropping the first game she needed to be. Bailey moved ahead from 4-all to 10-5 and quickly took the lead, but the pattern was repeated in reverse in the next game as Perry levelled.
The next two games were both well contested, mainly from the back of the court it has to be said, Perry always holding a slender lead in the third, and finishing strongly from 7/8 down in the fourth to move into her third Nationals semi.
"I find it tough to play Tania," she said afterwards, "so I knew I needed to stick in, try to keep her under pressure but play a basic game, I tend to get drawn into her game too easily."
She didn't, and maybe on her 'special court' it's time for her to make a first final ...
