Tennis-Teen Kournikova stays alive at Open.
NEW YORK (Reuter) - Precocious 15-year-old Russian Anna Kournikova joined
some of her more recognized elders in the fourth round of the U.S. Open by
upsetting 14th-seeded Barbara Paulus Saturday.
Kournikova, playing with seasoned poise in her first Grand Slam, won the
last three games to beat the Austrian 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the spotlight of the
National Tennis Center stadium lights.
"I tried to stay calm and I didn't lose my concentration,' said Kournikova,
the youngest player in the field.
Top-seeded defending champion Steffi Graf, third-seeded Arantxa Sanchez
Vicario and seventh-seeded Jana Novotna had already made it safely through
to the round of 16 earlier in the day.
Their straight-set victories lacked the drama of Kournikova's one hour, 45
minute victory, which earned her a surprising second- week meeting with
Graf.
"It is definitely my dream to play Steffi," Kournikova said of Graf, who
beat Natasha Zvereva of Belarus 6-4, 6-2.
"I was expecting to get to somewhere but I didn't expect to get this far.
But this is definitely what I have worked far," said Kournikova, who has
lived and trained at Nick Bollettieri's well-known tennis school in Florida
since coming from Russia six years ago.
Knotted at 2-2 in the second set, Kournikova rattled off seven games in a
row to take the set and extend to a seemingly comfortable 3-0 third-set
lead.
But Paulus rallied with her own streak, taking the next four games for the
lead. When Paulus went up 0-40 on Kournikova's serve in the next game, it
appeared she was set to turn the lights off on the 15- year-old's Open.
"I thought I had the match. I didn't think she would come back, " said
Paulus, who turns 26 on Sunday.
Kournikova did come back, mixing up her shots with a veteran's guile.
"She is very cool," said Paulus. "She doesn't get worried when she makes a
mistake, she just plays."
So far, Sanchez, the 1994 Open champion, has also just played, or toyed,
with her opponents. Her latest victim was an overmatched Elena Likhovtseva.
"Today was a perfect match for me," Sanchez said of her 6-1, 6- 0 romp over
the Russian.
Sanchez has not lost more than four games in a match here, but her task
should become dramatically tougher starting in the next round against
16th-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland.
Hingis, who turns 16 next month, reached the Open fourth round for the
second consecutive year by beating Japan's Naoko Kijimuta 6-2, 6-2.
Sanchez is ready for Hingis, whom she edged in three sets earlier this year
in their only career meeting.
"I'm just thinking to play my game like I did today and see what happens,"
said Sanchez, who made just 11 unforced errors.
REUTER
Finn, Richard, Tennis-Teen Kournikova stays alive at Open., Reuters,
08-31-1996.
