Capriati safely through as Kournikova stumbles

Defending champion Jennifer Capriati worked her way into the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday with a comfortable 6-4 6-1 victory over Croatia's Silvija Talaja.

She was joined in the second round by fellow American and twice champion Pete Sampras as the eighth seed cruised past grand slam debutant Jarkko Nieminen 6-3 6-3 6-4.

However, Anna Kournikova's Australian Open challenge barely got out of first gear as she was sent packing in the opening round 6-2 7-5 by sixth seed Justine Henin.

Top seed and world number one Capriati signalled her intention to fight off all challengers at Melbourne Park with a solid and determined win.

She briefly stuttered early in her match against a player who, while currently at 103 in the world, was once ranked as high as world number 18 two years ago.

But after edging the opening set she pulled away in the second with some heavier hitting and powerful serves.

"Now being seeded number one and being number one I like the feeling and I want to try and keep it for a while," Capriati said.

NEW LEVEL

"I just want to set a new goal for myself and take myself to a new level."

Sampras, whose chances of winning a 14th grand slam title were boosted when last year's winner Andre Agassi pulled out of his quarter of the draw on Monday with an injury, looked untroubled on Rod Laver Arena court.

His experience told against the Finn as he kept his nose in front throughout.

"I was pretty pleased?. I set the tone early on," said Sampras. "He came out a little nervous and I took advantage of that."

Roger Federer crushed former world number two Michael Chang 6-4 6-4 6-3. Chang, French Open champion in 1989, has now lost in the first round of the season-opening grand slam for three consecutive years.

Men's top seed Lleyton Hewitt plays his first round against Spain's Alberto Martin later on Tuesday.

Kournikova's defeat was the latest blow to a player who, despite being one of the most highly-paid in the sport, has yet to win a singles title in seven years of trying.

Henin's straightforward victory highlighted the many weaknesses in Kournikova's game.

"Well, I think I wasn't playing well in general," the Russian said. "Now I feel good physically I have to play more matches."

LOWLY RANKING

A quarter-finalist here last year, Kournikova has slumped to 64 in the world after missing much of 2001 with a stress fracture in her left foot, and a legacy of that lowly ranking is that she is likely to meet seeded players early in tournaments.

That does not bode well for the most photographed face in tennis as she continues to fall behind the big names.

Although she again came up short against Henin, she did not disappoint her legion of fans and photographers who had come to see the pin-up.

Dressed in a powder-blue outfit of hot-pants and sleeveless top, broken up by a white belt and sun visor, Kournikova looked like a player straight out of the 1970s.

Unfortunately she also played like a player from the 1970s.

"I played against a personality and the crowd love that," Henin said. "It is always difficult when you are in front of her to give 100 percent because you have to stay focused just on the match."