Youthful Williams Serves at Manhattan Beach

She’s young and enigmatic. She hasn’t been seen for a while, preferring to stay near her Florida home. She has enormous potential but her future is unsure. She’s not Monica Seles--who is not playing in the Acura Classic, which begins today at the Manhattan Country Club--but the other young sensation in women’s tennis, Venus Williams.

Williams, 15, has played in only one professional tournament and has no ranking, but gained entry to tonight’s 7 p.m. match against No. 70 Asa Carlsson as a wild card.

The field has five top-10 players, including No. 2 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, No. 4 Conchita Martinez, No. 8 Gabriela Sabatini and No. 9 Lindsay Davenport.

Williams, who grew up in Compton, was identified early as a teen-aged prospect, despite her father’s decision to keep her out of age group tennis competitions. Seldom seen but often discussed, Williams became a player known mostly by word-of-mouth scouting.

In a controversial and much-discussed decision, Williams turned pro last year at 14 and played her first tournament at Oakland in November. She lost in the second round to eventual champion Sanchez Vicario.

Williams was impressive for her all-court ability and her maturity, but remains an unknown. She and 14-year-old Swiss star Martina Hingis were the last two players to turn pro under rules that have since been changed.

Williams has announced she will play a modified schedule of three tournaments before the end of the year.

Martinez arrives at the tournament having won the Toshiba Classic in San Diego on Sunday. Sanchez Vicario and Davenport were injured in that tournament but are expected to play at Manhattan Beach.

Play begins today at 9 a.m. for the morning session and 7 p.m. for the night session.