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| Tue Oct 1, 9:07 AM ET |
Posted on 10/01/2002 1:44:14 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
MOSCOW, Oct 01, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Anna Kournikova of Russia defeated Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian of Switzerland 6-4, 6-3 Tuesday to advance to the second round of the US$2.2 million Kremlin Cup.
Kournikova, ranked 35th in the world and still looking for her first career title, entered her 116th WTA tournament on a wild card.
The 21-year-old Russian played with more energy than Mikaelian, running down balls and hitting hard. The two traded breaks early in the opening set, but then Kournikova made a decisive break in the 10th game.
She then dominated the second set, breaking her opponent twice to close the match in 1 hour, 11 minutes.
"I was playing really well today and it was a nice feeling on the court," Kournikova said, adding that she thrived on the support from the Russian crowd.
Two weeks ago, Kournikova came close to winning her first career title, but lost to Anna Smashnova of Israel in the final of the Shanghai Open. It was Kournikova's first final since she lost to Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the Kremlin Cup final in 2000.
Kournikova was eliminated in the first round here last year by compatriot Galina Fokina.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rainer Schuttler of Germany upset eighth-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina 7-6 (6), 6-4. Nalbandian, a surprise Wimbledon finalist this year, was ahead 6-3 in the first-set tiebreaker, but the 24-year-old German won five consecutive points to take the set.
Schuttler needed just one break to win the second set and the match. He blasted four aces while Nalbandian had none.
In other men's first-round action, defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia came back from one set down to beat Vladimir Votchkov of Belarus.
Votchkov, currently ranked 98th on the ATP rankings, broke the Olympic gold medalist in the first game of the opening set. Kafelnikov broke back to level 3-3 but the 24-year-old Belarusian made a decisive break in the eighth game to go up 5-3 before winning the first set on the second set point.
In the second set, second-seeded Kafelnikov took a 3-0 lead and closed the set in 33 minutes to stay in the match. Seeking his sixth consecutive title here, Kafelnikov went 4-1 up in the decisive third set, but Votchkov managed to fight back to make it 5-5 and the players held their serve to go into the tiebreaker. Love-3 in the tiebreaker, the Russian won five consecutive points, closing the match in 2:42.
In other play, Russia's Dinara Safina, another wild-card entry to the tournament, staged a major upset Tuesday, eliminating eighth-seeded Silvia Farina-Elia in a tough three-setter 0-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4.
It took the Italian just 19 minutes to win the opening set at love and jump to a 3-1 lead in the second set, but 16-year-old Safina, sister of Russia's top player Marat Safin, rallied and prevailed on a tiebreaker to stay in the match.
At 4-4 in the third set, Farina came back from love-40 in the ninth game but Safina broke her on a deuce and held her serve for the match.
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| Tue Oct 1, 9:07 AM ET |
(If ya know what I mean ;-D)
Post more pictures, sombody!
"Nubbin alert"
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