WIMBLEDON Talented teenager advances to third round

Siberia's Maria Sharapova has been called the next Anna Kournikova, only better.
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- It has taken Maria Sharapova only 16 years to make the journey from Siberia to the third round at Wimbledon.
The 6-foot Sharapova, playing in the tournament for the first time, advanced Thursday with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over fellow Russian Elena Bovina, who was seeded 21st.
Born in Siberia, not exactly a tennis hotbed, Sharapova moved to the Black Sea resort of Sochi at age 2, then to Florida at 6. The photogenic youngster now lives and trains in Bradenton and has been touted as the next Anna Kournikova, only better.
"She's a good player," said Ashley Harkleroad, another promising teenager who lost to Sharapova in the first round. "She's going to go a long way."
Sharapova has already drawn the attention of the notorious London paparazzi, even away from the court.
"My agent told me, 'It's better if you wear a hat and sunglasses,' " she said. "On the streets of Wimbledon village, I come out of a cafe and there are like three tabloid photographers right in front of my face. They just jump out.
"I just started laughing so hard. I didn't really care."
Moving on
Sharapova's next opponent will be 11th-seeded Jelena Dokic, who beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-1, 6-3.
Joining them on Saturday's schedule will be Serena Williams, the top-seeded defending women's champion, who will play Laura Granville. They're two of eight American women in the final 32.
Also advancing were Jennifer Capriati, 1994 champion Conchita Martinez, French Open champ Justine Henin-Hardenne and two-time Grand Slam champ Mary Pierce.
Sharapova lost her first five matches this year and made opening-round exits at the Australian and French Open, but she has found her footing on grass. She reached the semifinal two weeks ago at Birmingham, a Wimbledon warmup event, beating top-seeded Elena Dementieva along the way.
The youngster has drawn attention -- and criticism -- for the shrieks that accompany her shots. She was warned to tone down the noise at Birmingham, and her grunting was so modest Thursday that the subject didn't even come up during her postmatch news conference.
Having fun
Instead, she talked about how much she likes Wimbledon, where she was the runner-up in juniors last year.
"I love coming here," the chatty youngster said. "When I step on the court, I think, 'This is Wimbledon. This is like a dream that many little kids have.' I say to myself, 'I'm just going to go out there and do my best and show everyone what I can perform.' It doesn't put any pressure on me knowing it's Wimbledon."
Between matches, Sharapova relaxes by reading the new Harry Potter novel, listening to music and sleeping as much as possible, she said. Sharapova still has family in Russia and said she's not considering becoming a U.S. citizen, although she does feel partly American.
"It's definitely a big influence on me," she said. "But I still keep my feet on the ground and know that I'm Russian inside."