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Kournikova breaks grand slam drought Posted: Monday January 13, 2003 12:09 AMMELBOURNE (Reuters) -- Anna Kournikova won her first grand slam singles match in two years on Monday with a business-like 6-1, 6-2 victory over Slovakian Henrieta Nagyova, to the relief of her legions of male fans at the Australian Open. The Russian blonde, who crashed to first-round defeats at all four grand slams in 2002, dismissed Nagyova in just 50 minutes at Margaret Court Arena to set up a meeting with fifth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne in the second round. "I was not really thinking about [the losing streak]," Kournikova said. "A year ago, when I came back from injury, I was [ranked] around 100. This time I am 40 or so, so my goal is still to get back into the top 10." The 21-year-old, who missed eight months of the 2001 season with a foot injury, insisted that she would continue to play attacking tennis against the recently married Henin-Hardenne on Wednesday. "Obviously, Justine is a great player. She moves great and is really fast, so I really have to be focused," she said. "But I have nothing to lose. I'll just fight for every point and have fun out there." However, asked if she would be having fun away from the court in Melbourne this year, Kournikova snapped: "I swam with dolphins once, three years ago, and went to the zoo once. I'm here to play." Kournikova, who has yet to win a WTA Tour title but remains a huge draw because of her glamorous looks, showed no effects of the ankle injury that troubled her late last season against Nagyova. She repeatedly chased down balls and made a number of winning passes despite the blistering conditions. "I played nearly a perfect match today. It didn't cross my mind that I lost four (first-round matches) in a row at grand slams. It's not good if you think about it too much," said Kournikova. The Florida-based player insisted that she could still be a force on the tour. "I think I am getting better mentally and in understanding the game and growing up. Definitely I can be better physically and can play better than I played today," she said. "Most of us at not at the same power level as Serena and Venus [Williams]. But it is not totally to do with power. You have to be smarter and use your head. Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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