Hannah Miley (GBR), Femke Heemskerk (NED) and Matthew Targett (AUS) put in confidence-boosting performances on the opening day of action at the last round of the Mare Nostrum Tour in Monaco today, Miley's 4:35.89 victory in the 400m medley lifting her to third on the world rankings so far this season as she warms up for world titles in Shanghai next month.

The European and Commonwealth champion coached by her father Patrick at Garioch in Scotland was in fine company, Olympic and world-championship medal winner Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) alongside her in the long medley final but Miley went unchallenged, her 4:35.89 effort granting victory by 10sec. Coventry took silver in 4:45.28, with Bianca Meyer (RSA) third in 4:49.67. The best on the clock so far this year is the 4:34.91 clocked in April by world s/c champion Mireia Belmonte. Coventry took a second second place later in the session, on 2:11.57 in the 200m backstroke, the event in which she is Olympic champion (2004, 2008) behind Shiho Sakai (JPN), on a strong 2:07.74.

Heemskerk (NED) moved up to 4th on the world rankings this season with a 1:56.55 victory in the 200m freestyle just 0.06sec ahead of world s/c champion Camille Muffat (FRA), the bronze going to Hanae Ito (JPN) in 1:58.38. The 1:56 mark has been broken by three women so far this year, Australians Kylie Palmer and Bronte Barratt and Muffat back in March.

Targett set his best time of the season in a final in the 100m freestyle, 48.86 (he clocked 48.66 in semis at Aussie trials for Shanghai), to defeat French duo William Meynard, 49.41, and Fabien Gilot, 49.70, leaving another Australian, Kyle Richardson, locked out in  49.97.

Targett said: "Getting a result in the 100m freestyle was my main focus for the night and swimming a sub-49 second 100, under pressure from those French swimmers, was a really satisfying achievement. These results have been a considerable boost to my confidence, as we've come off a major block of training and followed that up with some really intense racing this week which has been great."

Like Heemskerk and Targett, Japanese swimmers also scored a psychological point over French rivals, Ryosuke Irie, on 53.47, and world champion Junya Koga, 54.13, getting the better of the 2010 world No 1 over 50m and 100m, Camille Lacourt (FRA), on 54.21.

In other action, Takeshi Matsuda (JPN) took the 200m 'fly in 1:55.68, 0.24sec ahead of Bence Biczo, with his Hungarian teammate and Olympic silver medallist Laszlo Cseh clocking 1:56.11 before heading back into action to win the 200m medley later in the session.

European champion Yannick Agnel (FRA), meanwhile was the comfortable winner of the 400m freestyle in 3:49.89.

Results at a glance:

Men

100m freestyle

• 1. Matthew Targett (AUS) 48.86
• 2. Willian Meynard (FRA) 49.41
• 3. Fabien Gilot (FRA) 48.70

400m freestyle

• 1. Yannick Agnel (FRA) 3:49.89
• 2. Yosuke Miyamoto (JPN) 3:53.96
• 3. Benoit Debast (FRA) 3:54.96

100m backstroke

• 1. Ryosuke Irie (JPN) 53.47
• 2. Junya Koga (JPN) 54.13
• 3. Camille Lacourt (FRA) 54.21

200m breaststroke

• 1. Ryo Tateishi (JPN) 2:12.93
• 2. Naoya Tomita (JPN) 2:14.44
• 3. Neil Versfeld (RSA) 2:16.06

200m butterfly

• 1. Takeshi Matsuda (JPN) 1:55.68
• 2. Bence Biczo (HUN) 1:55.92
• 3. Laszlo Cseh (HUN) 1:56.11

200m medley 

• 1. Laszlo Cseh (HUN) 2:01.03
• 2. Bradley Ally (BAR) 2:01.51
• 3. Jan David Schepers (GER) 2:02.16

Women

200m freestyle

• 1. Femke Heemskerk (NED) 1:56.55
• 2. Camille Muffat (FRA) 1:56.61
• 3. Hanae Ito (JPN) 1:58.38

200m backstroke

• 1. Shiho Sakai (JPN) 2:07.74
• 2. Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 2:11.57
• 3. Sophia Batchelor (NZL) 2:15.22

100m breaststroke

• 1. Samantha MArshall (AUS) 1:09.30
• 2. Caroline Ruhnau (GER) 1:09.35
• 3. Satomi Suzuki (JPN) 1:09.56

100m butterfly

• 1. Yuka Kato (JPN) 58.56
• 2. Inge Dekker (NED) 59.23
• 3. Jessicah Schipper (AUS) 59.39

400m medley

• 1. Hannah Miley (GBR) 4:35.89
• 2. Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 4:45.28
• 3. Bianca Meyer (RSA) 4:49.67