Sharapova outshines Kournikova with winning debut

Maria Sharapova stole the spotlight from glamorous Russian compatriot Anna Kournikova on Wednesday when she made a winning start to her professional career.

The 14-year-old dropped the opening set but fought back strongly to ease past American Brie Rippner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the Indian Wells Masters.

While an excited Sharapova now looks forward to a second round clash with fourth seed Monica Seles, a dejected Kournikova was left wondering if she will ever claim that elusive first career title after crashing out 6-1, 6-4 to American Lilia Osterloh.

Like Kournikova, to whom she is compared, the lanky Sharapova has yet to win anything of significance.

But tennis experts, sponsors and advertisers agree the statuesque Siberian has all the ability and striking looks to be a winner both on and off the court.

Long before appearing in her first WTA event, Sharapova had already been featured in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and Sports Illustrated.

Sport Magazine has pinpointed the Russian as one of the top 21 athletes to watch in the 21st century and her management company IMG expects to add to a sponsorship portfolio that already includes Nike and Prince.

OWN THING

"I respect her (Kournikova) but I'm just trying to do my own thing," said Sharapova, who was seven years old when she arrived in the United States with her parents.

"I'm just trying to be Sharapova and not look to anyone else's game and just try to be myself all the time.

"That's what I've been doing all my life."

Taking over centre court from Kournikova, Sharapova's blonde good looks and ability were on full display.

At times the 14-year-old's attention appeared to wander and she showed a lack of patience.

But after dropping the opening set, the young Russian displayed a quality Kournikova has seldom shown -- grit -- moving her American opponent around the court at will with powerful ground strokes and some intelligent shot selection.

"Even after first set I felt pretty confident in myself, I didn't get down," said Sharapova, in perfect English. "I did everything the same...maybe served a little bit better.

"She made a few errors in the second set and I think I took advantage of that."

BEST START

Enjoying one of her best ever starts to a season having reached three semifinals, including last weekend in Acapulco, Kournikova had appeared tantalisingly close to ending tennis's most famous title drought.

But the Russian pinup slipped back into old bad habits against Osterloh, committing 11 double vaults while slamming easy overheads into the net and spraying groundstrokes to all corners of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

"Obviously is was not my best day," said Kournikova, her only other first round loss this season coming at the Australian Open. "The match just didn't come together for me."

It was quickly obvious to the sparse crowd sprinkled across the cavernous 16,000 seat centre court stadium that Kournikova was in for a challenging afternoon when she fell behind 3-0, scoring just one point in the first two games and offering up a trio of double vaults in the third.

The 20-year-old Russian immediately broke back and for a brief moment looked poised to get back into the contest,

But Osterloh, who had not won a match since reaching the semifinals in Canberra in early January, seized control sweeping the next six games to take the opening set and a 3-0 lead in the second.

When Kournikova managed to hold serve for the first time in the match at 3-1, a large cheer went up from the crowd.

And when she broke to get back on serve at 5-4 a buzz began to circulate through the stadium.

But again the resistance was only token as 57th ranked Osterloh immediately broke back to close out the match, keeping her hopes of a first career title alive.

"I stuck it to her," said Osterloh, taking full credit for the victory. "I forced the issue, she either had to hit a winner or make a good shot."