Eagle Sports Editor

Maria Sharapova shocked the tennis world when the 17-year-old Russian dominated Serena Williams in the Wimbledon women's final recently.

Less than two years ago, Sharapova was 15, ranked No. 259 in the world and playing in Wexford.

"Maria got her start in Pittsburgh," her agent, Max Eisenbud, said.

Numerous other up-and-coming women's tennis players do the same at the PNC International Tennis Classic, held each November at Oxford Athletic Club in Wexford.

Of the 32 main draw players in the event last year, 16 went on to play in the Australian Open.

"A lot of players compete in this tournament to win points and improve their world ranking," said U.S. Tennis Association Middle States president Bette Salmon. "The PNC is one of the top challenger events on the USTA pro circuit."

The main draw of the event is seeing 32 players ranked anywhere from No. 40 through 200 in the world.

Sharapova defeated fellow Wimbledon competitor Amy Frazier - then ranked No. 39 - in the 2002 PNC event and defeated 50th-ranked Ashley Harkleroad before losing to Maria Elena Camerin of Italy in the finals.

"(Sharapova) endured three-set matches against Amy and Ashley right before the finals," Salmon said. "She was really tired.

"That girl is as poised and sweet and humble as she appears to be on TV. Obviously, she's gone on to make her mark in the tennis world, as have other players who have played here," she added.

The 2004 tournament runs Nov. 8 to 14.

Sally Gibson is director of the PNC Classic and said the tournament "gives us a lot of exposure."

"It's great tennis to watch with world-class players in our own backyard, and not many people know about it," Gibson said.

The prize fund is $25,000. The USTA has a tournament in Philadelphia the same weekend with a prize fund of $50,000.

"Anna Kournikova nearly came to our tournament last year, but opted for the bigger prize purse in Philadelphia," Gibson said. "We get more of the up-and-coming stars than the players who were higher ranked five years ago and are trying to make comebacks."

Oxford Athletic Club has seven indoor tennis courts and four outdoor courts. Its membership is approximately 2,500.

The club has five teams in the Pittsburgh Tennis League. Gibson said half of the male tennis membership play tournaments, including Lloyd Adams, who played in the men's 40-and-over national tournament last year.

Katie Dellich, 22, a Butler High School and Robert Morris University graduate, was recently hired as a teaching tennis pro at Oxford.

"I'm thrilled to be around so many talented players with high interest in getting better," Dellich said.

Dellich, who finished 8-6 in singles both years at Robert Morris after her transfer from West Liberty (W.Va.), won't be playing in the PNC Classic but will be involved in some way.

"I'll definitely be there, helping any way I can," she said.

In the meantime, she's a full-time employee, putting on junior clinics and giving private and group lessons.

"I'll still play in tournaments here and there, but giving lessons is something I really like to do," Dellich said. "I like working with people, interacting with them all day long, and the facilities to work with here are unbelievable."

Dellich graduated cum laude as an English major from Robert Morris and looked for jobs in her field "before realizing this is what I wanted to do."

Watching and working with current and future pro players - perhaps the next Sharapova - is something Dellich plans to do for a while.

"I hope I'm here for a long, long time," she said.