Kournikova makes Newport unveiling

Chris Yemma

When Anna Kournikova visits Newport Beach tonight, heads will turn.

Projected to be a huge draw by the Newport Beach Breakers’

organization, Kournikova will be playing tonight for the visiting

Sacramento Capitals in their match against the Breakers.

The Kournikova countdown officially ends at 7 p.m. at Palisades

Tennis Club.

“She’s a great tennis player and obviously a great looking girl,”

Devin Bowen, a former Estancia High tennis standout who is new to the

Breakers this year, said. “She might be better looking than she is at

tennis.”

Kournikova, a two-time Grand Slam doubles winner, played the last

two seasons with the Kansas City Explorers and will be making her

debut for the Capitals tonight.

In a conference call to reporters last month, Kournikova, who

briefly visited Orange County to compete in the WTT Smash Hits event

at UC Irvine’s Bren Center in October, said she is looking forward to

her trip to Newport.

“I was in [Orange County] for just those few hours,” she said. “I

really have not been around that area, too much...I’ve heard it’s

really beautiful there.”

Officially announcing her retirement from the Women’s Tennis

Association in March, 2004, the now 24-year-old said her Sacramento

debut is also something she’s been looking forward to.

“The crowd and the public will get to see some great matches,” she

said. “I’m looking forward to playing in a new place that I’ve never

played before and to be a part of a new city.”

Partnered with Martina Hingis, Kournikova won her Grand Slam

doubles titles in 1999 and 2002, both at the Australian Open.

She has numerous singles wins over players ranked No. 1 in the

world throughout her career, including Hingis, Steffi Graf, Monica

Seles, Lindsay Davenport and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

But it’s her appearance that has attracted the most attention.

In 1998, she was one of two athletes selected to People Magazine’s

50 Most Beautiful People list. In 2002, she was named FHM Magazine’s

Sexiest Woman in the World and in 2003 was ranked No. 6 on Sport’s

Business Daily’s list of Most Marketable Female Athletes.

She has also appeared in fashion and entertainment magazines and

can be seen on television and in other media outlets as a popular

product endorser.

And most recently, she has been writing a new fitness column for

Elle Magazine.

The team concept of WTT, which she compares with playing doubles,

appeals to her.

“When I was playing doubles it was always looked at as playing for

fun...and I never felt that much pressure,” she said. “I wasn’t

trying to put too much pressure on myself and I was just going out

there to have fun.