Yes the 17-year-old blonde bombshell's glamourous looks - not to mention all that on-court grunting - have had heads turning at Wimbledon.

And yes they both turned professional at the tender age of 14 after being groomed in Florida.

And I will hand it to you both signed lucrative modelling contracts to supplement their on-court income.

But there the comparisons must end.

On Saturday Sharapova will face top seed Serena Williams for the Wimbledon crown -- Kournikova never got beyond the last four at a Grand Slam.

Sharapova is the first Russian to reach the Wimbledon final in 30 years and the youngest since Martina Hingis, who won aged 16 in 1997.

But should we really be surprised by her prolific rise to the top? Probably not.

At the age of nine Sharapova was deposited on the doorstep of Nick Bollittieri's Tennis Academy in Florida by her father Yuri.

Her mother Yelena stayed in Siberia, separated from the pair, for the next two years because of visa restrictions.

She definitely has the weapons and belief to beat Serena Williams

Bollettieri, who immediately spotted the youngster's potential, points to the family's sacrifice and belief as the key to Sharapova's success.

"Yuri found the right people who could help his daughter become the best tennis player possible," Bollettieri told The Independent.

"He has stayed right by her, giving her every support but crucially he let those people (the coaches) get on with their job."

Her family's gamble not only equipped Sharapova with physical skills on court it also instilled her with a mental toughness and determination.

During the media conference after her semifinal defeat over Lindsay Davenport, Sharapova's sunny demeanour dropped only once -- when her family's involvement in her career was questioned.

"I don't know why you would say that about my father," Sharapova had answered with narrowed eyes.

"I owe a lot to my parents. The move to the US was an amazing sacrifice and you either win or you lose."

Sharapova shows this same steeliness on court.

Twice at Wimbledon this year she has battled back from a set down - in the quarter-finals against Ai Sugiyama and the semis against Davenport - and then gone on assert her dominance by taking the deciders 6-1.

Self-belief and ambition has fuelled Sharapova's path so far but against Williams the Russian will need a little more in the tank.

Luckily, the 17-year-old has already gone a long way to proving that she has got the game for grass.

In her breakthrough season in 2003, Sharapova reached her first Tour semi-final as a qualifier - on grass at Birmingham.

She then went on to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon at her first attempt.

This season Sharapova made the ideal preparations for a return to SW19 by claiming the Birmingham title.

In fact she doubled her efforts, grabbing the doubles crown alongside fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko.

The 17-year-old possesses a mighty forehand and her backhand is not far behind.

The Russian could just prove sometimes the deadliest of weapons come in the prettiest of packages.