The next Kournikova?
2003-06-27 10:59
Wimbledon - It has taken Maria Sharapova only 16 years to make the journey from Siberia to the third round at Wimbledon.
The 1.83-meter Sharapova, playing in the tournament for the first time, advanced on Thursday with a 6-3 6-1 victory over fellow Russian Elena Bovina, who was seeded 21st.
Born in Siberia - not exactly a tennis hotbed - Sharapova moved to the Black Sea resort of Sochi at age 2, then to Florida at 6. The photogenic youngster lives and trains in Bradenton and has been touted as the next Anna Kournikova, only better.
"She's a good player," said Ashley Harkleroad, another promising teenager who lost to Sharapova in the first round. "She's going to go a long way."
Sharapova has already drawn the attention of the notorious London paparazzi, even away from the court.
"My agent told me, 'It's better if you wear a hat and sunglasses,"' she said. "On the streets of Wimbledon village, I come out of a cafe and there are like three tabloid photographers right in front of my face. They just jump out.
"I just started laughing so hard. I didn't really care."
Sharapova's next opponent will be No 11-seeded Jelena Dokic, who beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-1 6-3.
Eight American women
Joining them on Saturday's schedule will be Serena Williams, the top-seeded defending women's champion, who will play Laura Granville. They're two of eight American women in the final 32.
Also advancing were Jennifer Capriati, 1994 champion Conchita Martinez, French Open champ Justine Henin-Hardenne and two-time Grand Slam champ Mary Pierce.
On the men's side, No 2-seeded Andre Agassi advanced by beating Lars Burgsmuller 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-3. Agassi will next play No 27 Younes El Aynaoui, who beat Nicolas Massu.
Also winning were French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, three-time quarter-finalist Mark Philippoussis, 2002 runner-up David Nalbandian and 10th-seeded Tim Henman, the lone British player left in the tournament.
Before beating Michael Llodra 6-4 6-4 6-3, Henman's match was delayed by shooting for a movie titled "Wimbledon" about the first English male finalist since the 1930s.
"Maybe it's a sign of the desperation to finally win the tournament that they're making a film about it," Henman said. "I hope if I win Wimbledon, it won't ruin their film."
The only seeded man to lose was No 26 James Blake, beaten by Sargis Sargsian 6-2 7-6 (3) 6-2.
Opening-round exits
Sharapova lost her first five matches this year and made opening-round exits at the Australian and French Opens, but she has found her footing on grass. She reached the semi-final two weeks ago at Birmingham, a Wimbledon warm-up event, beating top-seeded Elena Dementieva along the way.
The youngster has drawn attention - and criticism - for the shrieks that accompany her shots. She was warned to tone down the noise at Birmingham, and her grunting was so modest on Thursday that the subject didn't even come up during her postmatch news conference.
Instead, she talked about how much she likes Wimbledon, where she was the runner-up in juniors last year.
"I love coming here," the chatty youngster said. "When I step on the court, I think, 'This is Wimbledon. This is like a dream that many little kids have.' I say to myself, 'I'm just going to go out there and do my best and show everyone what I can perform.' It doesn't put any pressure on me knowing it's Wimbledon."
Between matches, Sharapova relaxes by reading the new Harry Potter novel, listening to music and sleeping as much as possible, she said. Sharapova still has family in Russia and said she's not considering becoming a US citizen, although she does feel partly American.
"It's definitely a big influence on me," she said. "But I still keep my feet on the ground and know that I'm Russian inside."
- AP