Margarita Kaurnakhova hated tennis at first, when coaches scouting for talent came to her south Russian town of Krasnodar, near the Ukrainian border, and gave the gangly 10-year-old her first swings of a tennis racket.

“I was chosen because I was tall and fast, but I didn’t like it at first,” Kaurnakhova said. “It took me a couple of years.”

Today, Kaurnakhova’s rare talents and imposing athletic abilities have placed her on a collision course with professional tennis superstardom, a road that starts with the No. 1 singles spot on the Sacramento State women’s tennis team.

Although she just turned 18 a couple of weeks ago, the freshman is currently ranked No. 51 in the national rankings of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Kaurnakhova was ranked No. 1 in Russia in the under-18 category when she was 16 years old, and both she and her coaches expect her to turn pro within two years.

“I want to win the NCAAs first, then get ranked top five, then I’ll be ready for it,” she said.

Sac State women’s tennis coach Bill Campbell also believes his young star can make the climb to the world’s elite.

“Margarita’s goal is to be the best tennis player in the world, and she has the talent to do it,” he said. “She’s got speed and power, and will eventually be able to regularly serve the ball like the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena), at about 115 miles per hour. Besides that, she’s a tremendously hard worker.”

Kaurnakhova spends several hours each day running and cycling, and works out with weights three or four times a week, in addition to team practices and private lessons with her coaches. She also posted a 3.0 GPA in her first semester at CSUS.

The media guide lists Kaurnakhova at 5-foot-10, but Campbell insists she’s closer to six feet.

Campbell, who owns several tennis clubs with his wife, including the Rio Del Oro Club where the team practices and plays its home matches, met Kaurnakhova four years ago when she played in an international juniors tournament that he was hosting.

Kaurnakhova reached the finals of that tournament as a 14-year-old, and her father, who works for an American company in Russia while her mother teaches English, insisted she come to Northern California to train and compete full time.

Kaurnakhova moved to the United States when she was 15, and Campbell assisted in the arduous immigration process.

“You just have to make sure everything is in order,” Campbell said. “The Russian government doesn’t just want people leaving Russia, so it’s kind of a game. You tell them what they expect to hear, even if it’s kind of untrue.”

Besides the Campbell connection, Kaurnakhova chose to play at Sacramento State so that she could continue being privately coached by Rich Andrews, the tennis pro at Rio Del Oro, and because of the city’s nice weather.

The Hornets went 20-4 last year, posting the best record in school history and falling to No. 2-ranked Stanford at the NCAA Championships, the team’s first ever appearance at that event.

With Kaurnakhova and Sweden’s Ann Roslund, who is coming off a shoulder injury, stepping in as the team’s top-two players, Campbell expects even bigger things this season.

“Margarita is levels above our number one player last year,” Campbell said. “The only thing that could possibly slow us down is injuries.”

Besides Roslund’s bad shoulder, which will keep her from hitting overhead shots for a month, Brazilian sophomore Amanda Sanches returned from Christmas break with a slightly torn leg muscle that will keep her out at least two weeks.

Campbell’s goal for the team is to win the NCAA Tournament with Kaurnakhova leading the way. A tournament victory in singles competition would give Kaurnakhova an automatic entry into the U.S. Open.

Last fall, in her debut with the Hornets, Kaurnakhova won the singles title at the Saint Mary’s Invitational, and by the end of the season was ranked No. 8 in the Northwest region. She also became the first Hornet player to enter the Riviera Women’s All-American Championship.

Kaurnakhova recently returned to Russia to visit her family. “The biggest difference between these countries is the people,” she said. “In Russia, they are meaner.

“I miss my family a lot, but I feel more comfortable here.” Her family hopes to move to America within the year.

Kaurnakhova’s 20-year-old brother, Anton, recently moved in with his younger sister, helping to mitigate feelings of homesickness. She also counts her boyfriend, Thomas, as a huge source of support, especially since she has yet to get involved in Sacramento’s considerable Russian community.

Although Kaurnakhova expresses admiration for female tennis players such as Justine Henin and Jennifer Capriati, her favorite is Pete Sampras because of his ability to stay on top for a long period of time.

“He is my ideal tennis player because of his mental game and his confidence, which allowed him to stay on top for six years,” she said.

Kaurnakhova believes that this sharp mental edge is the last remaining piece in her quest to be one of the world’s top tennis players.

“I need to believe in myself more, to show more confidence and not be nervous before a match,” she said.

Her determination paid off against UC Irvine in the team’s first match of 2003. Kaurnakhova defeated Irvine’s Jenny Bowman in the singles tournament, then teamed with Roslund to defeat the nationally-ranked doubles team of Bowman and Tiffany Chang.