IT was a simple throwaway line from Patrice Hagelauer, performance director of the Lawn

Tennis Association, but one which graphically illustrated how Scotland may yet have a long overdue presence in the upper echelons of the sport.

When asked which young player, male or female, had the potential to make it into the world top ten the Frenchman named, without hesitation Elena Baltacha from Paisley.

That bold statement even drew a sharp intake of breath from her own coach, Alan Jones, who is one of the most experienced in the country, and who doesn't want to make such a heavy

prediction as the one put forward by Hagelauer.

''It's not just about raquet skills, it's about Elena's ability to grind it out on the tour, be away from home week after week, take the rough with the smooth,'' said Jones, who helped Jo Durie to a place in the world top ten during her career.

''In saying that Elena easily has the potential to make the world top 50, but there are too many

factors and hurdles to overcome before I would suggest she'll make the top ten.''

In tennis terms even making the top 50 would be a magnificent achievement and despite Jones' reticence about making predictions about his pupil it is clear both he and Hagelauer realise she is one of the best young players in the country at present.

Where they seem to differ is whether she will go all the way or whether she will make it into, rather than win, the big tournaments.

Scotland has not had a representative in the main draw at

a major championship like

Wimbledon since Suzi Mair appeared there 16 years ago and the thought that a girl who learned her tennis at the Scots-toun Leisure Centre may follow in her footsteps isn't so hard to believe as it sounds.

Baltacha is in the vanguard of new, exciting players coming through the ranks and Hagelauer believes she can help improve the standard of British tennis in a year in which it sank to one of its lowest ebbs following the Davis Cup defeat at the hands of Ecuador at Wimbledon.

He is clearly looking for inspiration from the teenage players and thinks he has found it in the girl who represented Scotland

in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Edinburgh.

He watched intently as the

17-year-old beat all-comers to win this year's under-18 British ladies championships and believes she can make it to the top of the tennis tree.

Elena comes from a sporting family and is the daughter of

former Dynamo Kiev player Sergei Baltacha and ex-international pentathlete Olga, who travels everywhere with her, while her brother who is also called Sergei, currently plays for St Mirren.

She was back north of the

border this week to catch up with family and friends after losing to second seed Shiu Peng from China in the prestigious Orange Bowl Junior tournament in Miami.

Being hailed as a potential top ten player by the performance director of the Lawn Tennis Association doesn't seem to faze the girl who made it through to the quarter-finals of junior Wimbledon this year and who many believe will make it into the main tournament before too long. Suzi Mair made it to Wimbledon as a teenager back in 1984 and was only one win away from meeting Martina Navratilova, who was No.1 seed in that year's tournament.

When Suzi retired the baton was passed to her younger sister Michelle, who now works with Mark McCormack's IMG international sports management group and like her sister was the No.1 ranked player in Scotland.

Since then players like Nicola Payne, Mhairi Brown and Karen Paterson has enjoyed some

success but clearly since the Mair sisters called it a day Scotland has been desperate for a high profile successor.

For many Baltacha could prove to be just that women. Both Suzi and Michelle Mair believe she can make it into the top 50 but like Jones feel there are many factors which then kick in which will decide whether she makes it into the top ten or not.

Both believe she is athletic enough and hits the ball with enough venom to greatly improve on her world ranking, which is currently hovering around the 400 position.

As for the fact that Baltacha

is, at 17, around the same age as players like Martina Hingis was when she started winning tournaments should not be seen as a draw back.

''History shows that British players take longer to come through with Tim Henman being a prime example of someone who never really figured in

the junior rankings but came through later on,'' said Suzi.

The other Mair sister, Michelle, who used to work with Adidas before IMG, has seen Baltacha

in action this season and believes she has the power to make a

significant move through the rankings.

''She is a strong athlete and reminds me of Steffi Graff,'' said Michelle, who was Scotland's number one player for six years.

That comparison will be music to the ears of Baltacha who has long idolised the German. She laughed an embarrassed laugh when told of the comparison as she sat at her brother's home in Paisley yesterday, where she

will be based during her time

at home.

She realises that the next few years will either make or break her tennis career and that now is the time to be even more single-minded than she has been up until now.

She was born in the Ukraine, where she started playing

short-tennis at the age of six then moved to Scotland when her dad Sergei signed for St Johnstone and considers Scotland home.

She moved to Paisley from Perth and most of her improvement as a tennis player came at Scotstoun Leisure Centre. She moved south to link up with the experienced coach Alan Jones on the outskirts of London and the flat she shares with her mother Olga in nearby Enfield is where she spends her time.

''It was nice to hear what Patrice Hagelauer said about me, but obviously it's up to me

to make things happen,'' said Baltacha, who left school a few years early to dedicate herself to tennis although she has always received private tuition.

''I realise making the transition from being a good junior and a player on the circuit is huge and I'll have to raise my standard of play as well as having to be more determined, tougher, and much more aggressive.''

Having watched Baltacha in action at this year's junior Wimbledon she clearly has that aggression and determination in abundance and she doesn't look far off the finished product.

However, there are many pitfalls to be overcome before she breaks through in the senior games and will have to steer clear of injuries to keep her career on track.

Alan Jones knows her better than most and although he feels a top 50 placing will be a step in the right direction agrees with Hagelauer's prediction that she will be a major tennis player in year's to come.

''She has been working with me for 18 months and she is improving all the time,'' said Jones, who after 25 years in the game is one of the most respected coaches in the country.

''She is one of only a few

players since I worked with Jo Durie who had the potential to break into the top 50, but I would be a bit shy of suggesting she could make it into the top ten.

''I'm not saying she can't but there are a lot of factors involved in doing that but whatever happens I'm sure she will make it into the Federation Cup team and will be representing Great Britain in years to come as she certainly has great potential.''