JUST when you thought Wimbledon stars could not get younger, Dasha Sharapova, cousin of the new ladies' champion, demonstrates her potential as a future star.

Eight years the junior of Maria Sharapova, the nine-year-old has already won rave reviews from coaches in Russia, where the profile of tennis has been hugely boosted in recent years.

Playing in the first round of the annual youth tennis tournament on clay courts in Sochi, Russia, she demonstrated a crisp forehand, an accurate two-handed backhand, and a strong first serve in advance of her years.

At the same stage in her life, Maria - then nicknamed ''Masha'' - was embarking on the tennis career that culminated earlier this month with a straight sets victory over Serena Williams.

Her ascent into the annals of tennis legend began when she was taken by her father from Siberia, aged seven, to America, and the Nick Bollettieri tennis academy in Florida.