By
Keith Carmona
Arizona Daily Wildcat
With the U.S. Open starting today, the world is placing its money on Venus and Serena Williams, Lindsey Davenport and Martina Hingis.
Yet they can't let their eyes wander from one starlet whose perfectly sculpted hourglass figure leaves men drooling, women coveting and opponents laughing.
Anna Kournikova is hot. There's no denying it.
And thanks to her long blonde hair and skimpy outfits, professional women's tennis is soaring in popularity.
Before this Russian vixen stepped onto the professional tennis scene a few years ago, you would have never seen twenty-something males tailgating outside tennis stadiums around the world, bearing coolers full of Budweiser, sharing their favorite women's tennis stories.
Never would you have seen bare-chested teenage boys with their favorite women's player spelled across their bodies in paint.
Nor would you have seen provocative pictures of Aranxta Sanchez Vicario or Martina Navratalova in Sports Illustrated.
Kournikova is a savior to the Women's Tennis Association.
Even if she never wins a tournament, or even advances past the first round, the sport is able to sell itself on its hottest commodity - Anna Kournikova.
The notoriety of the Williams sisters' rivalry is merely a payoff from the fascination Kournikova helped create within the American public's view of pro tennis.
Her No. 13 world ranking is nothing to be ashamed of, and in a sport where older players have the capacity to dominate, Kournikova, only 19 years of age, has quite a few years ahead of her, (see Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf.)
When Anna descends upon New York City this week, flashbulbs will be popping, the tabloids will be querying her about relationships with hockey stars Sergei Fedorov and Pavel Bure and endorsers will be lining up for her signature.
While Venus and Serena contend for their next Grand Slam, Anna's work off the court (considering her game is suspect) is just as beneficial to tennis' well-being.
The $10.25 million she made in 1999 outside of tennis will buy quite a few Mercedes and BMWs, but commercials plastering her face across the world are just as much ads for the WTA as they are for Anna herself.
Kournikova's pearly whites and beaming blue eyes have graced the covers of GQ, Forbes, Esquire, Vogue, Rolling Stone and countless other publications with no athletic association.
Fans who would otherwise be unconcerned and disinterested in women's tennis have become fans of the sport because of the siren of the hardcourt. The new fans' tennis interest arises out of Anna's splendor, but it can certainly evolve into an honest appreciation for the entire sport.
Like it or not, sex sells. And capitalizing on it is not sinful.
Look back at the WTA Tour a few years ago and you see an unhealthy product, much like today's men's tennis tour.
Do you think WTA media execs are unhappy with Kournikova and the other young stars bringing attention to the tour, despite using sex appeal as its catalyst?
No, of course they're not. For every set of eyes focused upon Kournikova, just as many refocus their attention to her opponent, once the ball crosses the net.
