By Mike McIntyre

As if Russia needed another women's tennis player to be winning titles on the WTA Tour. Add Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to an already abundant number of talented Russian women on the WTA Tour. The eighteen year old defeated Daniela Hantuchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-0 to claim the title at the Monterrey Open in Mexico. It was the second time in a matter of weeks that she had beaten Hantuchova, as the two paired off in Dubai recently with Pavlyuchenkova prevailing 6-3, 6-4 in that encounter. 

Russia currently has eleven players in the top fifty on the women's tour and its newest winner should get a boost towards the top twenty after her performance here this past week. For those of you who have not heard of Pavlyuchenkova, she was quite an accomplished junior player who won three Grand Slam junior events in 2006 and has also won four doubles Grand Slam junior titles.

After her impressive run this week in Mexico, it appears as though the young Russian is getting ready to make her mark on the pro tour. As we approach Indian Wells we should remember that Pavlyuchenkova had a great run there last year as she reached the semi-finals before falling to Ana Ivanovic.