Hantuchova takes a lengthy stride forward

One of the media rules for the All England Lawn Tennis Championships, albeit unwritten, goes as follows: there has to be an Anna Kournikova figure.

This year, happily, the fit – sorry – fitful Russian returned from injury to appear in person. But her form of five years ago, when she reached the semi-finals here, remains absent and after a maddeningly scatty performance in her first round she made a predictable early departure, taking her swag of blonde plaits with her.

Oh dear, oh lor. What to do now?

Last year, with Kournikova missing, one British newspaper championed the cause of the "sexiest woman in tennis" at these Championships, namely – just in case she has already slipped from your mind – Austria's Barbara Schett. Like Kournikova, she had a pretty face, two arms, two legs and played tennis. And, of course, she was a blonde. The similarity faded a little when Schett won two matches to reach the third round. But, hey... can't have everything.

Schett is here again this year, but the attention she earned last time around has shifted to another leggy lovely; Daniela Hantuchova.

The 19-year-old from Bratislava has already secured herself some solid playing credentials after capturing the Wimbledon mixed doubles title last year with Leos Friedl. Earlier this season she also won her first major individual title at Indian Wells in California, defeating Justine Henin and Martina Hingis in straight sets en route.

Hantuchova became familiar to tennis followers in this country when she entered this year's Eastbourne tournament, where she faced the tricky task of defeating her official mentor in the WTA's Partners for Success programme, Martina Navratilova, in the first round.

Having managed that – noting wryly that the usual tactical advice had been lacking from her pre-match gee-up chat with the former Wimbledon champion – she went on to reach the semi-final and demonstrate that she has the game to do well on grass.

The point was well made again yesterday as she defeated her fellow Slovakian Martina Sucha 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in a second round match on No 3 Court that took place alongside the tumultuous exit of the seven-times winner Pete Sampras, whose transition from Pistol Pete to Pissed Off Pete had spectators in a frenzy.

Glancing occasionally towards the calming presence of her English coach, Nigel Sears, and her parents Igor, a computer scientist, and Marianna, a toxicologist, Hantuchova recovered the composure she had seemed on the brink of losing following the second set.

"I knew Sampras was playing next door, and when I heard all the noise I was just trying to concentrate on my game," she said with the smile that has been featuring with increasing regularity in the world's sporting press.

There are clues from elsewhere which indicate that Hantuchova's impact upon the sport has involved more than her sweeping ground strokes. On the internet, for instance, where her homepage announces: "This site is dedicated to Daniela Hantuchova, the pretty female tennis player from Slovakia. For sure she will climb the rankings shortly, and if not, we can always enjoy her beauty!"

Another website offering informs us: "The Daniela Hantuchova page is now closed. If you want to visit the Barbara Schett page, click here."

The nature of this kind of attention has perturbed those who guide her career to the point where yesterday's little chat was carefully monitored by officials. There were to be no references to... all that, even though the official concerned did not feel able to spell out what all that meant.

"Does this mean I won't be able to ask her if her legs really are 44 inches long?" I enquired. "That's right," said the official. We knew where we stood.

When Hantuchova stood, politely in welcome, she kept on going and going. Long, long legs. Long, long arms. For Sucha, who used to hit practice shots with Hantuchova as a child when both played at clubs in Bratislava, it must have been like playing Twizzle.

Hantuchova has, of course, been aware of the impact she has made in this country, especially since Eastbourne. "I feel that the people support me and are more and more on my side," she said. Asked why, her blue eyes and ready smile freeze ever so slightly. "I think because I'm just trying to be myself. And also because I have an English coach."

One of the other factors which is operating is a temper which occasionally threatens to burst through Hantuchova's relatively serene demeanour. When she produces a particularly good shot, she clenches her fist and shakes it in a kind of Henman-like gesture.

Yet when things went against her, particularly in the second set, she began to bounce her racket around on the turf a little bit and at one point seemed severely tempted to thwack a loose ball into the hoarding behind the baseline.

That she resisted such excess, and recovered her game, caused her coach much satisfaction. "I think she was right on the edge at one point, so I was very pleased with the way she steadied herself," Sears admitted. "She's still got a lot of work to do but she is maturing into a very good player."

She is maturing, too, into a striking young woman who is likely to be much in demand off court. Asked if she was aware of the kind of distractions which have caused Kournikova's form to suffer in recent years, she replied, sweetly and very sensibly: "That's something that comes with tennis. These things are taken care of by my manager and agents."

Shouldn't be a problem.