Lucie Ahl wants junior stars to shadow her and other top British players at tournaments like Eastbourne.

Only Elena Baltacha and Anne Keothavong scrape into the world's top 150 in the women's game and British No. 3 Ahl believes that is because the system fails to prepare promising youngsters for the rigours of the senior tour.

"The biggest drawback in the women's game is that we lose them when they leave school and come out of juniors," she said.

"We haven't got hold of that transition yet. As a junior player life is a lot easier. You've always got coaches, you are getting things paid for, you don't really have to do much apart from go out and play.

"The juniors don't really understand life at senior level. I would like some juniors to come to tournaments like this with me and just follow me around and try and learn that way.

"Juniors have got to see what it is about earlier."

Ahl lost 6-3, 6-3 yesterday to former Wimbledon semi-finalist Alexandra Stevenson in the first round of the Hastings Direct Championships.

Stevenson now faces fourth seed Daniela Hantuchova, while the second round opponent for top seed Lindsay Davenport is Silvia Farina Elia.

The Italian beat Clarisa Fernandez 6-2, 6-1.

In the other first round match played yesterday ex-Wimbledon champ Conchita Martinez toppled Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-3. Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Hantuchova all won through in the doubles.