Kournikova crushed by
wildcard Wheeler
Anna Kournikova once again disappointed her legion of fans on Wednesday when she crashed out in the first round of the French Open, beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Australian wildcard Christina Wheeler.
The glamorous Russian, more a tennis clothes horse these days than a credible contender, put up little resistance against an opponent ranked 193 in the world on a breezy court two.
It was her eighth first-round defeat this year and her worst result at Roland Garros. Currently ranked 54 in the world, she won only one match between February and May this year.
Still without a title after seven years on the WTA tour, Kournikova sprayed wild errors around the bull-ring arena in a display of sloppy tennis.
She produced 48 unforced errors to head for the exit at the first hurdle.
She was not helped by a nasty fall midway through the second set when she crashed to the clay with her legs in the air.
The Russian received treatment for a painful finger and she has also been suffering from a groin strain which she sustained in Rome two weeks ago.
The early departure is a blow to organisers and photographers alike.
Kournikova, dressed in her retro 1970s outfit of sleeveless top and hot-pants, is hugely popular in the French capital and graces the front pages of several newspapers and magazines.
Serena powers into second round
Meanwhile, Serena Williams made a colourful start to her French Open campaign as she breezed past Slovakian Martina Sucha 6-3, 6-0 in the first round on Wednesday.
Looking more like a soccer player with her bright green T-shirt dress over red shorts and yellow knee-high socks, the third-seeded American overwhelmed Sucha with her brutal groundstrokes.
"I'm with Puma and so are the Cameroon soccer team. So they (the designers) suggested I play with the Cameroon strip during the French Open and it seemed like a good idea," said the trend-setting Williams.
"Cameroon are the best African team and are known for their fighting skills so those credentials are good enough for me."
Williams, who cracked her claycourt jinx 10 days ago when she captured her first title on the surface at the Italian Open, wielded her new-found skills to devastating effect much to the frustration of Sucha.
The 39th ranked Sucha, a second-round loser on her Roland Garros debut last year, did well to weather the Williams storm at the beginning of the match but once the American had grabbed a break in the fourth game, there was no stopping her.
The 1999 U.S. Open champion -- currently enjoying a career high three in the rankings -- pinned Sucha beyond the baseline with thundering groundstrokes that the Slovakian could not control.
Sucha, however, did manage to save two set points with forehand drives but eventually succumbed on the third to hand Williams the set after 34 minutes.
Williams then justified her billing as one of the favourites for the title -- she reached the Berlin final eight days before her Rome victory -- as she steamrollered past Sucha in 27 minutes without dropping another game.
"I've been more focussed lately and mentally I've grown up a bit and now approach my matches in a different manner," said Serena about her recent improvement.
"I got tired of losing to the same people all the time and now treat each match I play as if I am in a grand slam."
Asked about her chances of winning the Roland Garros title this year, she added: "I'm in great shape and I know I can do it."
