But when 2002 US Open Girls' Junior Champion Maria Kirilenko stepped onto the court to play her first match as a qualifier against Katalin Marosi of Hungary, her nerves were steady and demeanor all business.

В случае успеха в первом круге против основного турнира против хозяйки турнира Терезы Логар, Мария может встретиться во втором круге с соотечественницей Линой Красноруцкой

Exhibiting the polished game that every junior champion possesses, Kirilenko flashed a crisp two-handed backhand and a razor-sharp forehand. Wielding the same yellow Yonex racquet that Martina Hingis made famous, Kirilenko showed brilliant range in her game. At one moment applying soft touch to a drop shot, the next, balance and raw power to a free-swinging aerial volley.

Unlike many of the tall, powerfully built Russians on the women's tour, Kirilenko's stature was small, but her frame was crammed with sinewy muscle. 'She hits a ton for a small girl,' gushed one spectator.

The going got tough early in the match for Kirilenko as she was broken at 5-6 and lost the first set, 7-5.

Getting quickly back onto the right foot, Kirilenko struck back with a ferocity breaking Marosi in the first game of the second set. Buoyed by the surge, Kirilenko quickly claimed the second set, 6-3, and the third in tidy fashion, 6-1.

If Kirilenko can win on Thursday and Friday and advance to the main draw, the US Open just might have produced the next great champion.

И совсем другая картина в матче Кириленко - А.Серра-Дзанетти. Опытнейшая итальянка имела 5-3 и 2 сетбола на подаче Кириленко, но Маша вытащила сет 7-5, сломила соперницу во втором 6-1 и стала 12-ой россиянкой на ЮСе.

13-ой стала Вера Душевина, в 1 круге у нее местная фаворитка