Anna Kournikova has just entered the easiest draw in her entire tennis career. The top seed, Henrieta Nagyova, is ranked #41 in the world. The second seed, Tatiana Poutchek, was upset in the first round by Silvija Talaja (ranked #96). Anna is seeded third. Warsaw may be the place where she finally gets rid that dreaded tagline, "...who is still seeking her first tournament win..."

Will the pressure get to her? Can she get by Stephanie Foretz, #8 seed and Charleston quarterfinalist, in the semis? What about the other Russians, Jidkova (#4 seed) and Zvonareva (10-2 this year)?

This could be her best chance in a long, long time. You know the Polish tournament is longing for it - think about getting more press for their tourney than for the German Open! I'm picking Foretz, but am, as always, rooting for the tragic heroine, Kournikova.

Go Anna!

Hey, looks like those topless pics in Penthouse officially weren't of her I hope she sues the pants off 'em...and then secretly takes a picture and publishes it in an adult magazine!

Sigh...

seems like Anna retired down 2-5 in the third set against top-rated junior player Svetlana Kuznetsova. After winning the first set, she was even at 4-4 in the second. This would seem to be her first retirement ever in a match, making me thing that she's probably still injured - perhaps never really recovered from last year. Or maybe she saw the writing on the wall and realized that it would be far less humiliating to retire.

All of a sudden, this tournament got a lot less interesting. Unless this Kuznetsova can continue to do some damage, color me uninterested.

yah, Anna was treated on court for BOTH a leg and arm injury. It was unclear which injury forced her to retire. Her arm was treated right after winning the first set, so it doesn't seem like she was even healthy when she was winning.

i always look askanse at "retirements" when the player is one game away from losing the match.

i think anna's confidence is totally shattered.

Does anyone else think she should skip Paris and London, hit the practice courts, and try to make an impact on the summer circuit? Of course, she probably has endorsment obligations.

skip london and paris? if she's healthy and Hingis is interested, they should play doubles as they're one of the only teams out there capable of beating Raymond/Stubs at will.

Maybe winning some doubles matches can help her confidence on the singles court.

skip london and paris? if she's healthy and Hingis is interested, they should play doubles as they're one of the only teams out there capable of beating Raymond/Stubs at will.

Maybe winning some doubles matches can help her confidence on the singles court.