Bug's life at an end for rising star Keothavong

Now the British No1, who has come through tough times both on and off the court, is just one win away from breaking into that elite group and should achieve her ambition at the Memphis tournament, which starts on 16 February.

Despite showing real promise as a youngster, Keothavong was told by coaches that her serve wasn't good enough and that she would never make it as a professional.

The Londoner, whose parents are from Laos, refused to quit but suffered a further setback six years ago when she was sidelined for eight months with a ruptured cruciate knee ligament.

Now Keothavong believes the bad times have made her stronger. "When you start out you have to go through the difficult stages and there were times I did question if I was going to get where I wanted," said the world No54.

"It is hard when your ranking is not that high and you are lying on a mattress in a room with cockroaches and you are thinking: 'how am I going to play my best tennis with preparation like this?' Going through those experiences is character-building.

"I have worked with people who have questioned if I would break into the top 100 - particularly after I damaged my knee. These were people I trusted and now I am out here doing what I want to do, so it's a case of 'sod you!'"

The rebuke was delivered with her trademark smile but behind the soft voice and engaging personality is a driven woman prepared to spend up to 36 weeks of the year away from home.

Keothavong, who reached the US Open third round last year, is benefiting from a significant improvement in support for British players following the £25million, five-year sponsorship deal with Aegon allied to the world-class facilities at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

The 25-year-old is part of the elite Team Aegon, which is restricted to the top 30 British players and gives them significant support and access to the NTC.

The project aims to help players such as Laura Robson, the Wimbledon girls' champion, make the transition from top junior to successful senior.

The British No1 has a key mentoring role with the teenagers, who are starting to prove that British tennis can produce players to take on the world's best.

When you are on the tennis circuit, the use of a courtesy car to whisk you to a five-star hotel makes all the training and travelling bearable. It also signals the transition from also-ran to a top-50 place and new riches.

"For the next couple of tournaments I'll get direct entry because of my ranking and that means avoiding qualifying events," said Keothavong, who played a winning part in giving Britain an unassailable 2-0 lead in their Federation Cup clash against Hungary in Estonia last night.

"The higher your ranking, the nicer things get. Having had my fair share of dodgy places, it's nice to get a bit of glam.

"When you go to India for the smaller tournaments, you know it's going to be backpacker places. There are times when you have to suck it up and get on with things."

It is that attitude which has put Keothavong on the brink of turning a fantasy into a reality.