COULD THE WASHINGTON GENERALS BE NEXT?:

Kournikova Reaches Shanghai Finals (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, September 14, 2002)

Anna Kournikova rallied from a big second-set deficit to defeat Ai Sugiyama 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday and reach the finals of
the Shanghai Open.

Kournikova, who has never won a singles title on the WTA Tour, reached her fourth-ever finals and first in two years. She will face top seed Anna Smashnova of Israel on Sunday.

That sound you hear is the muttered prayers at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT, as executives pray for a Kournikova victory, so they can pretend they're providing the coverage worthy of a champion rather than just exploiting her for purposes of titillation. Posted by Orrin Judd at September 14, 2002 2:27 PM