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Serving notice Kournikova inches closer to first WTA victory
CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) -- Anna Kournikova is the most recognizable woman on the WTA Tour. Even so, she still hasn't won a title. Kournikova got closer to that elusive first career championship with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory against Nathalie Tauziat on Friday to gain the semifinals of the $535,000 Acura Classic. Kournikova, playing her best tennis of the season, is appearing in her 70th career WTA event. She has appeared in only two finals, none this year. "[Journalists] are the only ones who are making pressure," said Kournikova, responding to whether she feels pressure because she has yet to win a tournament. "It's always been more important to have a ranking, good results than to win a tournament." But a title would quiet talk that Kournikova is more flash than substance. Kournikova, known more for her good looks and off-court success, has raised her game in recent weeks. She succumbed to Venus Williams last week at the Bank of the West Classic, losing 6-4, 7-5. But other than Williams, who has a 13-match winning streak, no one on the tour is playing as consistently as Kournikova. "She's playing really good right now," Tauziat said. "She's been playing good for the last two weeks. If her game is maturing, let's see if she continues to play like this for one or two months." Kournikova faces fourth-ranked Monica Seles in one semifinal Saturday, while the No. 3-ranked Williams plays Amy Frazier in the other. Frazier stunned top-ranked Martina Hingis in straight sets to reach the semis. Seles, ranked No. 4, staved off one match point and won the final three points in the third-set tiebreaker to hold off France's Sandrine Testud for 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory Friday night. Testud, ranked 11th, came back from a 3-0 deficit in the third set to take a 6-5 lead. But she blew a match point in the 12th game as Seles forced the tiebreaker. Testud went in front 5-4 in the tiebreaker and had a chance to serve out the match. But she double-faulted and hit a forehand into the net to put Seles ahead 6-5. Seles closed out the match when Testud hit a backhand wide. Early on against Tauziat, Kournikova looked nothing like the player who ousted No. 2-ranked Lindsay Davenport earlier in the week in three sets. But she rebounded to match Tauziat stroke for stroke in the last two sets. "I have a good history of losing the first set, then winning the next two," Kournikova said. "I get into the match pretty slow. But once I got into the match, I think I was playing pretty well." After Tauziat stormed through the first set, Kournikova took advantage of the first chance to break serve in the second set when Tauziat's backhand volley sailed long. The third set was a mirror image of the second as Kournikova staved off one break chance to hold her serve for a 6-5 lead. After winning the first three points on Tauziat's serve, Kournikova closed the match as Tauziat hit a backhand volley long. "I think I played really good in the first set," Tauziat said. "But today, she didn't miss too much."
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