Ward, who celebrated his 18th birthday at the end of last month, won seven matches - three in qualifying - en route to the final of a Futures event in Balaguer, Catalonia, including six ranked players to secure his first senior world ranking points.

All of his victims were Spanish players, who specialise on the clay surface, and in Sunday's final he was beaten 6-1, 6-4 by another Spaniard, David Diaz-Ventura.

Among his victims were third seed Roberto Bautista who is currently ranked 483 in the world and Carlos Rexach.

Bautista was beaten 6-4, 7-5 and Rexach, who was ranked in the top 400 in the world as recently as last year, was dispatched 6-2, 6-1.

In the semi-finals Ward came from a set down to despatch No.7 seed Jordi Marse-Vidri 3-6, 6-4, 7-6. The first set against Marse-Vidri was the only one he dropped en route to the
final.

His supreme effort prompted the British tennis web-site forum to acclaim his performance as 'probably the best tournament performance by an unranked British player since Andy Murray reached the quarter-finals of the Manchester Challenger as a 16 year-old in 2003'.

It also pointed out that the former Northampton School for Boys pupil had reached his first pro' final a year before Tim Henman!

Ward, the son of Northampton coach Richard Ward, is coming to the end of his second year on the Sanchez Casals Tennis Academy in Barcelona, but before winning his first match in the main draw had fallen agonisingly short of earning a first ATP point.

Ward senior said: "We are obviously thrilled with what Alex has achieved here and it means he will go into the 990s as a world ranked player."