Anna tops Anna

Kournikova scores upset, ends five-match losing skid

Anna Kournikova was all smiles after her upset of Anna Smashnova. AP

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Anna Kournikova of Russia advanced in the Bank of the West Classic with a decisive 6-3, 6-2 upset of Israel's Anna Smashnova on Tuesday night.

Kournikova, who has struggled since breaking her left foot and undergoing surgery last year, snapped a five-match losing streak with the victory over the eighth-seeded Smashnova, ranked No. 18 in the world.

"Everything just really worked for me," said Kournikova, who was a wild-card entry.

Kournikova appeared to lose focus slightly at the start when an errant ball from the side-by-side match between American Meilen Tu and Kim Clijsters of Belgium caused her to lose a point.

But she quickly regained her poise, winning eight straight points to go up 4-0 in the first set.

"After losing so many matches in a row, I learned from them," she said. "I really felt comfortable. I really felt confident with my strokes."

Kournikova credited new coach Harold Solomon, who has been working with her for about three months. She appeared strong with a balanced attack against Smashnova, throwing her off both at the baseline and at the net.

"We've been working a lot with the basics and putting my game together," she said.

Defending champion Clijsters found a groove to defeat Tu 7-5, 6-2 in their second-round match.

Tu, who advanced with a first-round victory over countrywoman Alexandra Stevenson, became frustrated by her own mistakes. The fourth-seeded Clijsters took advantage.

Clijsters has had trouble with her shoulder and upper arm and said she hasn't played since Wimbledon.

"It's always tough to come back," she said.

Clijsters, who won at Hamburg earlier this year, upped her record at Stanford to 4-1. She defeated Lindsay Davenport in the finals last year.

In the early first-round matches of the $585,000 event, American qualifier Marissa Irvin upset sixth-seeded Belgian Justine Henin 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

Irvin, a member of Stanford's 1999 NCAA championship team, had never defeated a player ranked as high as Henin, who was at No. 7 coming off a loss to Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals.

Henin was hampered by eight double faults and won just three of 13 break points. Afterward, Henin was treated for a cut and bruised finger on her left hand, sustained when she lost her balance reaching for a backhand in the third set.

Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States defeated qualifier Mirjana Lucic of Croatia 7-6 (5), 6-3 in another first-round match.

Also, Anne Kremer of Luxembourg beat Rita Grande of Italy 7-5, 6-2; Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand topped Janette Husarova of Slovakia 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; Lisa Raymond defeated Ai Sugiyama of Japan 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1; and qualifier Wynne Prakusya of Indonesia defeated Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian of Switzerland 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

 

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