Move over, Kournikova

Gennady Fyodorov

First, there was Anna Kournikova. Then, came Elena Dementieva.

But recently, as both of Russia's top female tennis players have struggled with foot injuries, they have been pushed into the background by rising star, Lina Krasnorutskaya.

The 17-year-old player from Obninsk, a small town 100 kms south of Moscow, made headlines earlier this month by reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open.

She also raised a few eyebrows by beating top players such as France's Nathalie Tauziat, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain and German Anke Huber.

"I don't want to take anything away from these players who are much older than me," Krasnorutskaya told Reuters in a telephone interview from the Dutch city of Den Bosch where she has been playing in a WTA tournament as preparation for Wimbledon next week.

In fact Dementieva is a mere two years older than Krasnorutskaya and Kournikova has only just turned 20. But as far as the newcomer is concerned, her compatriots have had their day.

"They belong to a past generation as I really enjoy playing and beating girls my age who are on top of the game right now," she said.

Krasnorutskaya, mature and poised for her years, said her goal was to become the world number one.

"Any serious player dreams of making it to the top and I'm no exception," she said. "I think I also have the arsenal at my disposal, the potential to achieve that goal."

Krasnorutskaya, born in the Crimean city of Kerch which is now a part of Ukraine, moved to Obninsk at the age of six.

"We have nice tennis facilities in Obninsk and both of my parents are certified tennis instructors so it was only natural that I took up the game at an early age," she said.

PARIS BREAKTHROUGH
Krasnorutskaya has long been touted as the next superstar in Russian tennis since coming up the junior ranks but she was able to make the breakthrough only this year.

Last month, she arrived in Paris without ever having won a Grand Slam match but knocked out ninth-seed Tauziat, Czechs Lenka Nemeckova and Denisa Chladkova and Italian Silvia Farina Elia on her way to the last eight.

There she lost to Belgium's rising star Justine Henin.

"It's really hard to make a smooth transition from junior tennis to the senior level. For some it could take several years, others do it in a much shorter time," the Russian said.

"Last year, my first year on the WTA Tour, I spent getting acquainted with the surroundings, the atmosphere, the players.

"This year, I already knew what to expect."

She gives much of the credit for her progress to her new coach, former Wimbledon doubles champion Larisa Neiland.

"I travelled with my mother to all the tournaments last year but I needed someone who has had the experience of being a top player to take me to the next step," Krasnorutskaya said.

"Since I hooked up with Larisa at last year's French Open, we have had a wonderful relationship. I can travel on my own now and having Larisa as a coach is enough."

FED CUP HOPES
Unlike the U.S.-based Kournikova, who has refused to represent her native country on numerous occasions, Krasnorutskaya said she was looking forward to her Fed Cup debut for Russia.

"It would be a real treat to play my first Fed Cup match for Russia. It's always special playing for your country," she said.

"We have a nice atmosphere on the Russian team, although we may not be all close friends. Most of the Russian girls grew up in Moscow while I lived in Obninsk and we rarely had time to train together and see each other off the court."

Krasnorutskaya said of Kournikova: "She lives in America, she doesn't really like to speak with other Russian girls. We always say 'hi' to each other but never speak like friends."

In fact, the Russians, who surprised many people by reaching the Fed Cup final in 1999, can look forward to having a dominant team for years to come.

Besides Dementieva and Krasnorutskaya, they can count on several other promising young players such as Nadejda Petrova, Elena Bovina and Anastasia Myskina.

And in a few years, they are expecting to produce another talented crop, headed by the 14-year-old Dinara Safina, the younger sister of U.S Open champion Marat Safin.

"The Russians are taking over in tennis," proclaimed Olympic champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov following his victory at the Sydney Games last year.

"It has been a sensational year for Russian tennis. Marat Safin winning the U.S. Open, me taking the gold in Sydney, Elena Dementieva winning an Olympic silver medal -- all that makes tennis a very special sport in our country," he said.

"But it's only a beginning. I feel like we're going to dominate the sport in the near future as we have a fantastic crop of new players."

Krasnorutskaya will try to live up to his words next week.