ANNA: HURLEY IS UGLY; Tennis ace's catty swipe at star Liz.

WIMBLEDON darling Anna Kournikova has taken a sneaky shot at actress Liz Hurley - by calling her ugly.

The Russian's swipe was revealed yesterday - just days after she outshone Liz in a fashion showdown at Buckingham Palace.

Anna, 19, voiced her comments to a journalist from Russian Vogue soon after she first met the Estee Lauder model.

Writer Karina Dobrotvorskaja revealed: "She met Liz once and told me in a whisper, 'she is so ugly'."

The comment by Anna, whose looks have captivated the Wimbledon crowds, followed a charity tennis match between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe at Buckingham Palace, which both she and Liz attended.

Liz, 35, is used to stealing the limelight wherever she goes with a series of sexy and daring outfits.

But, for the palace event, she chose a sober look while Anna let her flowing blonde hair down and chose a stylish denim dress.

Rising to the off-court challenge, Anna positioned herself and boyfriend Sergei Fedorov in the crowd behind Liz.

When asked after the match how it felt to be upstaged by the Russian glamour girl, Liz refused to be drawn into a verbal volley.

She said: "I think she looked smashing. She is a very pretty girl."

A spokeswoman for Liz said later the actress had no comment to make on the "ugly" jibe.

Both Anna and Liz are noted for grabbing the headlines through their stunning looks rather than successes in their chosen careers.

Liz shot to fame for wearing a Versace dress at the premiere of then boyfriend Hugh Grant's movie Four Weddings And A Funeral, after a string of uninspiring movie roles of her own.

Since then, she has continued to grab the headlines but more for her frocks than her screen roles.

Likewise, Anna has become a tennis favourite for her blonde mane and good looks - not to mention her bra ads - but has failed to shine on court.

She crashed out of the singles in the second round of this year's Wimbledon to Anne-Gaelle Sidot.

Anna's interview in Vogue, which was done during a break earlier in the year in Majorca, also gives a fascinating insight into the mind of the impetuous tennis player.

Dobrotvorskaja wrote dismissively of her: "She tells funny stories but is the first one to laugh at them."

She also revealed the opinionated Anna's other likes and dislikes in the film world.

"I don't like DiCaprio," she said, with her father Sergei adding that she preferred more 'manly actors'.

"Yes," said Anna, "I like Harrison Ford, Richard Gere and this type."

The precocious Anna also announced that she sees herself as now being at the "perfect age".

She said: "I can be a little girl or I can be grown up. I can be whichever I want."

During the photo session, Anna apparently complained that too much of her cleavage was showing.

"Mum, I'm nearly nude in this dress," she shouted to Alla, her domineering mother who acts as her manager, social secretary and confidante.

"Do they have a pin? Use it," ordered Alla. "They probably want to shoot you completely nude. You are Anna Kournikova - not just anybody."

TENNIS HOT SHOT

AGE:19

OCCUPATION: Pin-up who plays tennis.

WHAT MADE HER FAMOUS: When she first bent down to pick up a ball on court at 14 and we caught the first of many glimpses of her pants.

CAREER HIGH: Winning the Australian doubles - if only because suddenly everyone remembered she actually played tennis.

CAREER LOW: Crashing out of the singles at Wimbledon in the second round after saying: "I want to make it to the top five in the world in 2000."

SELLING POINTS: Blonde locks, long legs and her pants.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: The organisers of Wimbeldon expecting her to squeeze her entourage into a three-storey pounds 750,000 house. Utter humiliation.

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: Sergei Fedorov although she was engaged to ice hockey player Pavel Bure at the same time earlier this year.

HER GREATEST PROFUNDITY: "Can't we just talk about bras?" when asked about her love life.

THEY SAY: World number seven Nathalie Tauziat:"Glamour overshadows sporting performance. There is little chance of that changing as long as the box office puts Kournikova ahead because she is prettier."

DON'T MENTION: That dodgy backhand.

A MODEL STAR

AGE: 35

OCCUPATION: Pin-up who is an actress

WHAT MADE HER FAMOUS: Wearing that dress nicely accessorised by safety pins and Hugh Grant.

CAREER HIGH: Winning the Estee Lauder contract by combining her two favourite pastimes of getting her picture taken and making lots of cash.

CAREER LOW: Too many to mention but getting her kit off for that turkey of all turkeys, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, was a definite bummer.

HER SELLING POINTS: The boobs, the legs and her pants.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: Hugh's little moment of weakness in the back of a car with Miss Divine Brown.

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: Hugh Grant lookalike Guy Louthan and fashion photographer David LaChapelle.

HER GREATEST PROFUNDITY: When asked out by David La Chapelle: "I'd love to see you again! Goodie, goodie gumdrops! That would be fabulous! Goodie gumdrops!"

THEY SAY: "I wouldn't trust her to raise a puppy never mind a baby." Hugh Grant.

DON'T MENTION: Gentlemen prefer blondes or blondes have more fun - or blondes that are gorgeous and still only 19.

WHO'S THE BIGGEST BABE?

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