By Dennis Passa and Paul Alexander
The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia - Battered by injuries and still without a title, Anna Kournikova can take heart in this: Eight Russian women were seeded at the Australian Open, a quarter of all seeded players and more than any other country.

Dinara Safina, the 17-year-old sister of former Australian Open finalist Marat Safin, insists Kournikova deserves credit.

"Women's tennis, in Russia and around the world, is popular because of Kournikova," said Safina, who lost in straight sets to second-seeded Kim Clijsters on Saturday. "A lot of players want to be like her."

"She was in the semifinal of Wimbledon and in the top 10 . . . I think she did a lot for women's tennis," she added.

Seven Russian woman made the third round at Melbourne, including two who were unseeded. Anastasia Myskina, seeded sixth, and Vera Zvonareva, 11th, are through to the next round.

Kournikova, whose highest ranking was eighth, has a chronic back injury and might attempt a return to the circuit by March.

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CASINO WOES: Robby Ginepri wants to make the U.S. Davis Cup team, but isn't sure it would be good for his wallet.

He enjoys hitting the casinos with his friends, who include top-ranked Andy Roddick and other young U.S. tennis stars. He was asked Friday how he's been doing at the tables in Melbourne.

"This year and last year, it's not been too good. Luckily, I won (his match) today," Ginepri said with a chuckle. He's won $35,000 so far for advancing to the fourth round.

The United States is home for its Davis Cup matches next month against Austria, playing at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Conn.

"Maybe it wouldn't be a good idea for me to be chosen for Davis Cup because it's at the casino," he said.

Ginepri also confirmed his relationship with actress Minnie Driver is over and he's now seeing a woman he went to high school with in Georgia.

"You don't have to worry about cameras flashing in your face when you're coming out of clubs or anything," he said.

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HENMAN'S HUNDRED: The figure jumped out from the stat sheet: 100 winners. Unfortunately for Tim Henman, they weren't enough.

The 11th-seeded Henman won the first two sets but lost to Argentina's Guillermo Canas 6-7 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5, 9-7 in Saturday's third round.

"It's a pretty bitter pill to swallow," Henman said. "These are the types of matches that you've got to find a way to get through. He did, and I didn't."

Canas, who had a five-setter in the second round, came back despite twisting an ankle that had to be taped by a trainer. He took the third and fourth sets, then rallied from 4-1 down in the fifth.

Henman's 100 winners were offset by 74 unforced errors.

"In a couple of days, when I do sort of reflect on it, there will be some positives," he said. "There's probably not a whole lot of constructive things I've got to say at the moment."

Canas reached as high as 12th in the rankings in 2002 before injuries sidelined him for all but five tournaments last year, dropping him to No. 248.

"We both played unbelievable," he said. "I had the luck to win maybe the important points in the last set."

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ANDRE'S SALUTE: Andre Agassi stands on the court and turns to all four sides, bowing and blowing kisses.

It is a ritual the eight-time Grand Slam winner follows wherever he plays. Agassi began the tribute during his comeback, when his ranking fell to No. 122 in 1997.

"There are certain venues, being away from the game, that I was pretty clear I was going to miss very much when my time is said and done," Agassi said after beating Sweden's Thomas Enqvist.

"It's a little way that I just say my thank-yous and show my appreciation for the memory and the fans, and just all the joy I've had on the court there."

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DOUBLES TROUBLE: The world's best doubles players - American twins Bob and Mike Bryan - had a scare in the second round.

They dropped the first set in a tiebreaker Saturday and then were down a service break in the second against Argentines Martin Garcia and Sebastien Prieto.

But the Bryans, who won five of eight titles on the ATP tour last year, came back for a 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 6-0 victory, including a service break in the second set when the Argentines were serving for the match.

The United States will be counting on the twins at the Davis Cup against Austria on Feb. 6-8 in Connecticut.