IT'S not every tennis hopeful who takes volleying tuition from John McEnroe and can tune up for the Australian Open with two weeks at the house of Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert.

But then leggy Elena Bovina, touted by Lindsay Davenport as one of two youngsters most likely to barge into the world's top five in the next two years, is not just any young player determined to seize tennis glory.

The powerhouse Russian, buoyed by a win this month over Venus Williams, kept her career graph rising yesterday when she edged out her compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova, 17, in the first round of the Uncle Tobys Hardcourt titles at Royal Pines.

Bovina's rise to No. 26 has been aided by the talent and contacts of her American coach Joe Giuliani, a friend for many years with the mercurial McEnroe and the astute Gilbert.

The 19-year-old, a member of a 10-woman flotilla of Russian women in the top 100, practised with McEnroe at the French Open and Wimbledon and also worked with Gilbert in San Francisco this month on her way to Australia.

"John's the king of serve and volley and Brad is a genius – he knows so much about tennis," said Bovina, a 7-5, 6-4 winner over Kuznetsova, the 17-year-old doubles partner of Martina Navratilova at the Gold Coast and Australian Open.

"I was so happy and excited that John gave me some tips on volley technique and some things about when I should come to the net. John said: 'With your size (192cm) you have to come in as much as you can and put pressure on them'.

"It gives you so much belief. Joe's not the kind of person to say: 'I'm the coach and all the other people don't know anything' and wanted me to hit and talk to them. I know not a lot of the girls get that opportunity."

Bovina said she and Giuliani decided that if she was going to beat the Williams sisters she needed to be able to play more with power and precision at the net, rather than "run from corner to corner".

Only the US, with 15, has more players than Russia in the top 100, led at No. 11 by Anastasia Mykina, a matronly 21.

"We all want to be better than one another and it keeps you improving," Bovina said.

One of the most promising Russians is Kuznetsova, who won her second tour title in Bali two months before the tragic bombings.

"It was amazing to think people could do such a horrible thing in such a beautiful place," Kuznetsova said.

The counter-puncher was only five years old when Navratilova won her 18th and last Grand Slam title in 1990 and said she had watched videos of some matches from her new doubles partner at her prime.

"When you are on court it doesn't matter who you are," said Kuznetsova, playing with stitches in her chin from a morning warm-up session in which her racquet had rebounded up into her face.

"I'm not afraid of this but maybe I'll be a little nervous."

Had he been watching McEnroe would have enjoyed how Bovina, having come to the net sparingly against Kuznetsova's strong groundstrokes, came to the net on four consecutive points when she served for the match at 5-3 in the second set.

Passed at the net three times and broken to love, Bovina kept pursuing the difficult front-court art she is trying to master, crowding her younger compatriot's service game on two points in the next game for victory.

Bovina beat Venus Williams, 7-5 in the third set, in an exhibition series in Dublin three weeks ago.

"After the match Venus told my coach I had played really well and the next season she would be ready when we play," Bovina said.

"The match against Venus proved to me one more time I have the ability to beat the top girls. It's a matter of confidence and understanding these things to work on."

After Bovina lost in three sets twice to Davenport in the US last August and September, the former world No. 1 tipped Bovina and Daniela Hantuchova, ranked eighth, as the contenders possessing the best chance to challenge the top four or five women.

Courier-Mail