Karatantcheva, Cornet strike blow for new generation

On the day that Amy Frazier saw her record-breaking 65th Grand Slam final appearance come to an end, two players half her age were making waves at the French Open.

On the day that 32-year-old American veteran Amy Frazier saw her record-breaking 65th Grand Slam final appearance come to an end, two players half her age were making waves at the French Open.

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Fifteen-year-old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva, the defending junior champion at Roland Garros, reached the third round with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Japanese 19th seed Shinobu Asagoe.

Her reward is a match-up against four-time Grand Slam title winner Venus Williams.

"Young players travel a lot more than in the past and that makes us more prepared and gives us all a greater perspective, makes us more mature," said Karatantcheva.

"I remember watching Venus on television when she had those blue and white beads in her hair and I said to my mom that I wanted some like that. Venus is my idol as a person and a tennis player.

"I just hope I can be a good opponent."

The 98th-ranked Bulgarian, who honed her talents with the Bolletieri academy in Florida but spends more time in Sofia now working with her father, said she is realistic about her ambitions in tennis.

"If you asked me two years ago how long it might take me to be in the top ten, I would have said: 'Overnight, just go out there and hit a few shots'.

"But I have a better perspective of what it takes now."

Karatantcheva's win comes just a day after France's Alize Cornet, who only turned 15 in January and is ranked a modest 645, beat 71st-ranked Russian Alina Jidkova 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.

That gave her a second round match-up with her countrywoman Amelie Mauresmo.

Also making the second round on Tuesday was the Czech Republic's Nicole Vaidisova who was 16 last month and has already clinched two tour titles and was runner-up to Williams in Istanbul at the weekend.

Williams insisted she was not surprised at the emergence of so many young players on the tour.

"When I was in my teens, there was just a handful of young girls playing," said the American.

"But there's always good players coming up. That's the way it is because tennis keeps coming."

Cornet, who just eleven months ago won the French championship for pre-juniors, was handed a wildcard entry into the French Open.

And after an initial hesitant start against 28-year-old Jidkova the youngster battled through to set up a dream clash with her idol Maursemo, whose poster she has hanging over her bed.

"This is a dream come true for me. She's my favourite player," said Cornet.

"Two years ago she was practising on a court beside me, and I could just stare at her. I said to myself 'Oh la la, if only I could play her'. In any case she seemed really nice."

There is more to life however for the young prodigy who sits her baccalaureat (school-leaving certificate) examination, in which she is specialising in science, in ten days time.

"Yes I'm two years ahead at school," she added.

The 32-year-old Frazier was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Frenchwoman Emilie Loit to bring down the curtain on her record 65th appearance.