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Russian routed Henin-Hardenne hands Kournikova worst Grand Slam lossPosted: Tuesday January 14, 2003 9:52 PMUpdated: Tuesday January 14, 2003 10:04 PM
MELBOURNE, Jan 15 (Reuters) -- Anna Kournikova suffered the worst Grand Slam defeat of her roller-coaster career on Wednesday, thrashed 6-0, 6-1 by fifth-seeded Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne in the second round of the Australian Open. Kournikova rushed from the court immediately after her 48-minute ordeal ended, red-faced and clearly upset by the one-sided humiliation. More than an hour later, makeup reapplied and wearing a black tracksuit top and black cap, Kournikova put a brave face on the debacle. "We were both on the court ... I think it was a match," she said. Her previous worst showing at a Grand Slam event was when she lost 6-2, 6-1 to Steffi Graf in the fourth round of the 1996 U.S. Open. Back then, Kournikova was a major new talent with an exciting game. When Martina Hingis beat her 6-1, 6-3 in the third round of the French Open in 1997, she had become a credible challenger. A few weeks later, she reached the semifinals of Wimbledon. These days, though, the 21-year-old has become little more than a curiosity and a sideshow -- a tennis mannequin loved by schoolboy fans but no longer feared by opponents. But Kournikova still says she is a better player today than in her more successful past. "I think in general my game has gotten better," she said. "Before I was hitting the ball hard, now I am playing smarter." There is a strong argument for reverting to her early tactics if Wednesday's showing is any indication. Henin-Hardenne is not in the band of power players with whom Kournikova freely admits she struggles to compete. She is a player of touch and finesse, a clever tactician -- the sort of role in which Kournikova was cast during the early days of her career. But as the Belgian has grown in confidence and stature, Kournikova has been on the slide. Before Monday's first-round breakthrough against little-known Slovak Henrieta Nagyova, the Russian had not won a Grand Slam match in two years. Each year, her sponsors unveil a new Anna outfit. Each year, it is given just one day's exposure on the singles courts of the Grand Slam stage. On Wednesday, it was not just the late-morning Melbourne heat which left Kournikova red-faced on centre court. She could barely keep a ball in court, her serve was wildly erratic and she lost the opening set 6-0 in only 18 minutes. "I noticed that too," she smiled when questioned about her serve falling apart at the end of the first set. "I have to go away and practice more. It wasn't too bad, though. "I guess ... here I knew I had to do a little more, not give her so many opportunities. Maybe I went for a little too much." Attempts to switch tactics were all for naught. Her touch deserted her, shots ricocheted off the frame of her racket as she rushed in desperation, swinging wildly at the ball for winners. She finally held serve in the second game of the second set to mildly uncomfortable cheers from her fans in the crowd. It was a temporary blip on the chart, though. A game later a horrendous second serve which bounced before it hit the net meant she was broken again before Henin served out for a 4-1 lead. Two games later it was all over, to the relief of Kournikova and her fans. What had begun as a tennis match had swiftly become a humiliation, one from which even Kournikova may struggle to recover. "I really had no weapons against her today," was the Russian's sad postscript. "I tried to find a way ... but it was too hard."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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