Youngsters Assemble for a Big Garden Party

You might say the WTA High School was in session Wednesday at the Pacific Life Open.

Three wild-card entrants, all teenagers, won first-round singles matches at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Sixteen-year-old Tatiana Golovin of France, who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, defeated Shinobu Asagoe of Japan, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, and 14-year-old Alisa Kleybanova of Russia, making her WTA debut, beat Jelena Kostanic of Croatia, 2-6, 6-0, 7-5.

They were joined in the second round by 14-year-old wild card Sesil Karatancheva of Bulgaria, who also made her WTA debut. Karatancheva was impressive in her 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 victory over former Wimbledon semifinalist Alexandra Stevenson.

She was also delightfully self-confident. Karatancheva, who is 14 years 7 months, was informed that Jennifer Capriati reached the final of her first WTA tournament, in 1990, at age 13 years 11 months.

“When I start a tournament, ‘Go to get the first place or not go at all.’ She [Capriati] did good,” Karatancheva said. “She got to the final. I’m gonna beat that.”

Of this new wave, Golovin is several steps ahead of the class. Since the Australian Open, she has shown that her performance in Melbourne was no fluke, reaching the semifinals of a WTA event in Paris, getting there with a major win against Elena Dementieva of Russia.

She will play eighth-seeded Paola Suarez of Argentina in the next round but was relieved to have survived a difficult assignment under tough conditions.

“It was very hard. It was really hot outside,” Golovin said. “I played pretty well in the first set and then in the second I just ran out of energy.”

Golovin was born in Russia, grew up in France and trained in the United States. She said she feels mostly French.

“Child of the world, I guess,” she said.

That could apply to the energetic Kleybanova, who was thrilled that her parents got to see the first WTA match and victory. She was born in Moscow but is something of a tennis vagabond, unpacking for tournaments and training and then moving on to the next site.

The experience of being at a pro tournament was head-turning at first, but Kleybanova got over the kid-in-the-candy store feeling by the time she played Wednesday.

“I don’t think now anymore,” she said. “The first days I was just losing attention. I don’t really get nervous about anything. I’m just getting sometimes too excited, losing my timing on the court.”

The quirky story of the day belonged to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic. Benesova, who lost in qualifying Tuesday, got in later in the day as a lucky loser after Chanda Rubin withdrew from the event because of a knee injury.

Benesova has logged many miles. She won a clay-court event in Acapulco on Sunday, traveled to Indian Wells and had to play two qualifying rounds. She defeated Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland, 6-3, 2-6, 6-0, in the first round.

“When you’re winning,” Benesova said. “It’s not as bad.”

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Pacific Life Open

FACTS

* Where: Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

* Prize money: $2.1 million.

* Women’s first round: Continues today.

* Women’s final: March 21, 2 p.m.

* Men’s singles qualifying: Concludes today; 96-player singles main draw begins Friday.

* Men’s final: March 21, noon.

* Last year: Lleyton Hewitt of Australia defeated Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil, 6-1, 6-1, in the men’s final. On the women’s side, Belgium’s Kim Clijsters beat Lindsay Davenport, 6-4, 7-5.

* Two-time winner: Hewitt has won his last 12 matches in Indian Wells and has not lost there since the 2001 semifinal against Andre Agassi. Hewitt, seeded No. 8, is trying to become the first person to win the tournament in three consecutive years.

* ATP’s best: Carlos Moya, the No. 7 seed, is an ATP-best 18-3 so far this year, having reached four finals in five tournaments.

* TV: The Tennis Channel will broadcast 12 consecutive hours of coverage Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.; Early-round coverage begins Sunday on ESPN2.

* Tickets: (800) 999-1585.

TODAY’S FEATURED MATCHES

On Stadium Court, starting at 10 a.m.

* Jill Craybas vs. Els Callens, Belgium.

* Shenay Perry vs. Julia Vakulenko, Ukraine.

* Jamea Jackson vs. Marissa Irvin.

* Angela Haynes vs. Barbara Strycova, Czech Republic.