In the semifinals of the Madrid Open, Russian player Mirra Andreeva, who has won two WTA 1000 hard court titles, withstood the pressure from American Baptiste and advanced to the final in straight sets. This marks her first career final on a WTA 1000 clay event.
However, more than two decades ago, another Russian player had already reached the final of a WTA 500 clay court tournament. She also made it to the final of a WTA 1000 hard court event. Yet for a long time, she was unfairly labeled as nothing more than a “pretty face.” Who was this player? Let’s take a look.
That player is Anna Kournikova. In 1997, just after her 16th birthday, she stormed into the semifinals of Wimbledon. Although she lost to top seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland, she still ended the year ranked inside the Top 30, catching the attention of many tennis fans.
In mid-March 1998, after an early exit at Indian Wells, Kournikova arrived at the Miami Open. As a seeded player, she received a first-round bye. In the second round, she swept past Croatia’s Mirjana Lučić. In the third round, she faced fifth-seeded American legend Monica Seles. Playing with exceptional composure, Kournikova defeated Seles in straight sets, marking her first win over a Top 5 player that year.
Buoyed by that confidence, Kournikova went on to beat seeded Spaniard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, American Lindsay Davenport, and another Spanish player in consecutive rounds, advancing to the final. There, she faced Venus Williams. Kournikova took the first set 6-2 and seemed within touching distance of the title. But Williams fought back, winning the next two sets to claim the crown. Still, Kournikova achieved a career breakthrough.
In late March 1999, after another early exit in Miami, Kournikova entered the WTA 500 Hilton Head Island Open. She received a first-round bye, then faced Spain’s María Sánchez Lorenzo in the second round. After losing the first set, she rallied to win in three sets. In the round of 16, she overcame Austrian Barbara Schett in straight sets. She then defeated Germany’s Andrea Glass and sixth-seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder to reach the final. Unfortunately, she was swept by Martina Hingis in the final, settling for another runner-up finish.
Despite falling short of the title twice, reaching both a WTA 1000 hard court final and a WTA 500 clay court final shattered the “pretty face” label once and for all, proving Kournikova’s genuine tennis talent and competitive spirit. The tennis world has seen many talented beauties, but Kournikova’s journey remains a memorable chapter in women’s tennis history. That’s all for today’s tennis story; see you tomorrow. (Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)