Myskina talks up her Wimbledon chances

Anastasia Myskina, who celebrates her 21st birthday the day after Wimbledon ends, reckons she will also be toasting a successful time at SW19 after reaching a grass-court final for the second successive week yesterday.

The shy and quietly spoken Muscovite surprised with her actions and words, for after overwhelming the third-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-1 she volunteered the kind of prediction many players, schooled in noncommittal pro speak, might regard with horror. "I did everything I wanted to do. I like grass and at Wimbledon I'd like to be reaching the quarter-finals," said Myskina, who is the 18th seed at Wimbledon.

To achieve that she will probably have to beat two higher seeds, but it is not as ambitious as it sounds. Already she has beaten two seeds this week, to add to the three she defeated at Edgbaston last week, where she lost in the final to Jelena Dokic.

She might have had a harder job with Hantuchova had the Slovakian been able to reproduce the net approaches and serve-volleys she has been doing so well in practice.

Myskina treated the net as though it held a contagious disease, but prevented any premature forays by her opponent with some fierce flat groundstrokes on both wings.

Myskina, who has taken Venus Williams to three sets and held a match point against Jennifer Capriati this year, will today try for the second WTA Tour title of her career against the unseeded American Chanda Rubin, who at 26 is making the second big comeback of her career from injury.

It is also the second time Rubin has reached the final here, which may make her the slight favourite. She was no keener to venture forward than Myskina, but she demolished the 19-year-old Czech Daja Bedanova 6-4, 6-1.

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