Anna's pink pretender

Anna Kournikova could only watch from the sidelines as the teenager who is fast replacing her as the new cover girl on the tennis circuit cruised to a convincing victory in the opening match of the US Open.

Blonde Maria Sharapova was greeted with wolf whistles and screams as she emerged on court at Flushing Meadow in New York in a pink Nike outfit with matching shoes and visor.

Fellow Russian Kournikova, 22, who is suffering from a back injury, was the first to applaud as 6ft Sharapova demolished Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascual in straight sets, an impressive display which will add to growing expectations that she is a future title-winner.

Afterwards Sharapova, 16, said: "A lot of people talk about me being the new Anna Kournikova. But I don't think it's really important to be the babe of tennis. I don't really care about that. I'm there to play tennis and that's my number one priority."

Of her outfit she added: "Regarding my dress today, when I go on court I like to feel good about myself. The dress is a fun way of showing that I'm creative and I can really wear that stuff. "

Sharapova, who has been tipped for success by Martina Navratilova, is not allowed boyfriends and is shepherded everywhere by her father, Yuri.

Meanwhile, Kournikova, who has yet to win a major tournament, has been signed up by a US TV network covering the twoweek US competition.

Her Yugoslav rival Jelena Dokic, 20, had this warning for her: "There are plenty of other good-looking girls other than Anna Kournikova out there. Anna hasn't played for a long time. I think tennis is definitely looking for someone else."