Tennis’s biggest attraction, Maria Sharapova, shown here following through on a serve, made her debut in the Bausch & Lomb championships Tuesday evening at Amelia Island Plantation. (photo by Rob DeAngelo)

"She’s like Anna Kournikova, you know, except she wins.”

That’s how one fan at last week’s Bausch & Lomb tennis championships at Amelia Island Plantation described Maria Sharapova to a friend as both awaited the Russian’s first match Tuesday night.

There was a palpable buzz of excitement throughout the Stadium Court as the statuesque Sharapova made her way past the crowd and onto the playing surface a few minutes after 7 p.m.

Employing crackling baseline groundstrokes, the world’s No. 5 ranked player dispatched Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3 to advance.

Yes, there are other top stars in this year’s field, including three-time winner Lindsay Davenport as well as previous champion Amelie Mauresmo.

Yet it is Sharapova who generates the electricity. Make no mistake about it, she’s the top draw in this year’s tournament and would be even if Venus Williams hadn’t withdrawn due to an unspecified injury.

It is Sharapova’s star that burns most brightly in women’s tennis.

Part of it is her looks, of course. The tall, blonde, green-eyed Sharapova tops most “Sexiest Female Athlete” lists, but unlike with Kournikova, there is substance behind the style. Sharapova has won three Grand Slam titles to date.

By way of background, Sharapova was born in the middle of Siberia, in a small town called Nyagan. By the age of 7 Maria’s tennis prowess was discovered and her father, Yuri, brought the young prodigy to Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

At 11 years old, she signed with IMG, one of the largest management companies in the country representing the likes of Michael Jordan, Jeff Gordon, Tiger Woods and Gisele Bundchen among others.

Sharapova’s breakthrough win came at Wimbledon in 2004 when she defeated heavily-favored, two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the final.

Since then she has captured the 2006 U.S. Open title and this year’s Australian Open crown, defeating Justine Henin in both finals.

But with Sharapova, tennis is only half the story. A recent Forbes magazine article lists the 6-foot-2 blonde as the world’s highest-paid female celebrity, earning more than $25 million annually in endorsements. Companies such as Nike, Canon, Gatorade, Colgate-Palmolive, Tropicana, Land Rover and watchmaker Tag Heuer line up to throw millions her way.

Sharapova, who will turn 21 on April 19, has become what many in the tennis world hoped Kournikova would be – a spokesmodel for the game who also happens to win Grand Slam titles.

What brought Sharapova to north Florida for her Amelia Island debut was an injured right shoulder that kept her out of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

South Florida’s loss is our gain and local sports fans should rejoice. Play at the Bausch & Lomb championships is always top-notch, but this year offers a rare opportunity to see the most famous female athlete on the planet in action.