In the end she lost, which I guess is all that really counts.

But the bare statistics of Elena Baltacha's three-set exit from the Hastings Direct Championships yesterday tell only part of the story.

The British No. 1 and her first round conqueror, veteran former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, served up a first round treat for the citizens of Eastbourne in the early evening sunshine at Devonshire Park.

For most of the two hours and ten minutes they occupied centre court it was a fascinating and equal contest.

The equality evaporated only in the first three games of the deciding set when, by her own admission, Baltacha's standard dropped as Martinez eventually prevailed 7-5, 2-6, 6-1. If comedian Les Dennis provides as much entertainment at the nearby Congress Theatre in the stage version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' then the audiences will go home happy.

Baltacha, born in Ukraine and now based in Enfield, may never accumulate that kind of wealth in her career but we should be grateful for small mercies. She is good value, a droplet of hope in the ocean of dross that is British women's tennis at the moment.

Her spikey performance contrasted sharply with the lifeless departure of British No. 2 Amanda Janes 24 hours earlier.

Baltachi is intriguing viewing - a noisy, fidgety and feisty bundle of energy and commitment.

She swears at herself when she plays a bad shot, clenches a fist and praises herself when she hits a good one. Practically every point is turned into a soap opera.

She does not grunt when striking the ball so much as speak an unfathomable word. It sounds something like "byee" and progressively increases in volume during a long rally.

No wonder the crowd warm to her. She is a streetfighter with a wild and infuriatingly inconsistent streak which only adds to the intrigue of watching her. You never quite know what to expect from one point to the next.

The climax to the second set epitomised her unpredictability. She double-faulted on set point, then saved a break point in the same game with a second service ace.

A gusting wind was much more suited to the style and guile of Martinez than Baltacha the powerhouse. The 33-year-old Spaniard is all touch and finesse.

It is 11 years since she won Wimbledon but she was an Eastbourne finalist two years ago and is currently enjoying a revival which has eased her back up to 47 in the world.

Baltacha lacks her opponent's natural talent, craft and experience. She more than made up for it though with sheer, bloody-minded determination.

She almost retrieved the first set from a hopeless position, recovering to 5-5 after losing the first four games as she capitalised on the timid second serve of Martinez at every opportunity.

A total of four set points came and went for Martinez before Baltacha, the conditions playing havoc with her ferocious serve, fatally double faulted.

After surrendering a 2-0 lead, Baltacha romped away with the second set before wrecking her chances of a notable triumph with a poor start to the decider.

"I played a bad three games and it is so difficult to get back after that," she said. "I just lost it a bit. Those first three games were not good enough and if I want to get better then I cannot afford to be giving games away like that.

"It was an encouraging match for me but still shows my weaknesses and how much stuff I have still got to improve on.

"She dealt with the wind much better than me but she is so gifted through the hands. She can still play and she is definitely back."

It was refreshing to hear a British player dissatisfied with a gallant defeat. Baltacha, 21, is playing catch-up after a serious liver condition. If she performs like she did yesterday, for three sets instead of two, her ranking of 121 will surely rise.

Martinez tackles Kim Clijsters today in round two. The Belgian seventh seed celebrated her Eastbourne debut with a 6-1, 7-6 victory in 70 minutes against the promising Jelena Jankovic.

Former world No. 1 Clijsters showed no signs of the wrist and knee injuries which have forced her ranking down to 17 in her first appearance on grass since losing to Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semi-finals two years ago.

She was pushed hard in the second set by world No. 20 Jankovic, who lost in three sets to Maria Sharapova in the final in Birmingham on Sunday, but the American-based Serb fell apart in the tie-break which Clijsters won 7-2.

"I knew it wasn't going to be easy," Clijsters said. "She is playing with confidence after last week. It was my first match on grass for a while and I had to find my game.

"I am just happy to be in the second round. Conchita has a very tricky game on grass and you have to be mentally tough against her."

Elsewhere in the first round, sixth seeded Russian Elena Likhovtseva lost in straight sets to Marion Bartoli of France, while Clijsters' former doubles partner Ai Sugiyama had five match points in a three-set defeat against experienced American Amy Frazier.