Kournikova blows big chance

Kournikova was the runner-up yet again in Shanghai

By Piers Newbery BBC Sport Online

Anna Kournikova missed a golden opportunity to rid herself of the tag of habitual loser on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Russian lost to Israel's Anna Smashnova in the final of the Shanghai Open, denying her a first-ever professional singles title.

Kournikova denied first title

It was Kournikova's fourth defeat in the final of a WTA Tour event - and to make matters worse she had beaten Smashnova twice as recently as July.

After a horrendous couple of years, it could have signalled a change in fortune on the court for a player who has been widely viewed with cynicism for making a fortune off it.

Wimbledon 1997 was a high point

Kournikova reached her lowest ebb in the glare of the British media spotlight when she crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round in June.

She lost to compatriot Tatiana Panova, and then did herself no favours by living up to the stereotypical view of her as a spoilt tennis brat.

In fact, she had battled hard against Panova and only narrowly lost, despite suffering a crisis of form and confidence that stretched back over several months.

Kournikova close to the edge

It was all a far cry from when Kournikova burst on the scene in the mid-1990s as both a glamorous figure and a player of real potential.

Indeed, coach Nick Bolletierri suggested the Russian teenager would become a shotmaker to rival John McEnroe.

But since reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon as a 16-year-old, little has gone right for her in singles.

An injured foot restricted her to just 20 matches last year and she suffered average form, at best, in the early months of 2002.

  Anna Kournikova

Age: 21

Born: Moscow

Turned pro: 1995

Ranking: 38

Highest: 8 (Nov 2000)

Titles: 0

Win/loss: 182-116

Her complaints that she needed time to regain match fitness were all but drowned out when things took a turn for the worse in the Spring.

Between the end of February and the beginning of May, Kournikova won just one match in seven tournaments.

Two victories at the Italian Open were followed by another run of defeats that ended at Wimbledon.

Kournikova then crashed out of the US Open in the first round to make her Grand Slam record for the year no wins in four matches.

In the meantime, she had been making headlines for appearing in an Enrique Iglesias video and being touted for a role as a Bond girl.

The billboards and TV adverts kept the money rolling in, but the mocking tone of much of her coverage must have been causing a few frayed nerves.

Kournikova is, after all, a tennis player, and like any sports star needs results at some stage.

And the hard work that she undoubtedly put in did start paying off during the summer hardcourt season, despite her Flushing Meadows disappointment.

Kournikova has flourished off the court

A quarter-final defeat to Venus Williams in Stanford in July was followed up by a semi-final loss to Jelena Dokic in San Diego.

Kournikova's mini revival is not likely to have caused either of the Williams sisters any sleepless nights, but the Russian has shown glimpses of the form that once made her a top-10 player.

And the lack of strength-in-depth of the women's game suggests she could return to that level if her confidence picks up.

All of which made Sunday's clash with Smashnova so vital.

Kournikova had to fend off the suggestion all week that she chose Shanghai because of the weak field.

But for a player so desperate to lose the label of never having won a tournament, any title is one worth having.

The next time we are likely to see Kournikova on court will be in her home town of Moscow at the end of the month.

If her fragile confidence has taken a battering in Shanghai, names like Venus, Capriati, Hingis and Mauresmo could do further damage.

And to make things worse, Smashnova will be there too.