THE FUTURE of women's tennis has not presented itself to the establishment with humility. Martina Hingis, who supplanted Steffi Graf last week as the youngest ever number one ranked player, Anna Kournikova, the extrovert Russian teenager, and the ghetto born American, Venus Williams, have already begun to step on toes. Monica Seles at 23, it appears, is getting on. Graf at 27 doesn't bear thinking about. Tennis once again has become a game for little girls. Can anyone explain it?

The years 1980 and 81 were a good vintage for prodigies. Williams and Hingis, now 16, and Kournikova, 15, came into the world seemingly destined to strike tennis balls above all else. Hingis has being playing since she was five, Williams four and a half, and the young Russian for as long as she can remember. Already they are endorsed up to their pony tails. Already they do not have to win another match in order to be financially comfortable for the rest of their lives.

Kournikova, ranked 90th in the world, could only play in 10 tournaments between her 14th and 15th birthdays and only 13 tournaments in between June of last year and June of this year when she turns 16. Hingis and Williams just ducked in under the WTA rule barring players under 16 becoming full time professionals. Tennis, it seems, has learned something from the career nose dives of Jennifer Capriati, Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger.

The age limit is torture for Kournikova who fired off a letter to the WTA after the Key Biscayne tournament in Florida last month.

"If I had the chance I would like to play more to get more experience. It's hard to move up when everyone else can play in every tournament and I can only play in 10. They will do better than me even if I win all 10," she said. "I was caught in the middle. They should have either let me go or not "play at all. They just froze me in the middle."

The frustrated 15 year old looks on in envy at the all conquering 16 year old Hingis. Four years ago, the Swiss girl, at 12, arrived in Wimbledon dressed from head to toe in Sergio Tacchini gear. Not that the firm enticed or entrapped her into a contract. They simply donated the clothes. They had been doing so since she was eight. Williams, who emerged from the notorious South Central district of Los Angeles, will make her Wimbledon debut this summer. At this year's Key Biscayne tournament she was awarded a wild card entry before going on to defeat world number nine Iva Majoli in three sets. She then set about giving Olympic gold medallist Lyndsay Davenport as good a work out as she has had for some time.

William's father, manager and coach, Richard, was reluctant for her to join the professional tour despite pleas from the US Tennis Association and the WTA to bring her on board. His uncompromising but memorable quote - "Anyone who allows a 14 year old to turn pro should be shot" - was initially thought to be the protective instincts of a father for his daughter. Still, on her professional debut over two years ago, in Oakland, California, Williams, spurring on his daughter against the then US Open champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, was heard shout, "come on beat that turkey". Opinions of him were revised.

Kournikova's talent was discovered in Moscow when she was eight by an American sports agent. By nine, she had been flown over to the Nick Bollittieri Academy in Florida. Last year, when she was Stall 14, it was noticed that she was a regular visitor to the bar at the Indian Wells tournament in the US. Apparently having no trouble passing for someone much older, the obviously glamorous Kournikova was keeping company with 26 year old Russian hockey player Sergi Fedorov, who plays with the Detroit Red Wings.

Heated debate centred around the scant attire the young Russian wore off court, with Bollittieri even throwing in his tuppence worth when saying that Anna was well aware of her looks and her talent, but that he strives to keep her ego deflated. "She thinks she's a little princess," he added. By 15, she had beaten the world number 14 Barbara Paulus and had helped attract a first day record of 10,589 fans at this year's Australian Open.

Despite the immense ambition of all three players, their expectations' and their precociousness, none have yet become grotesque. Although the notoriously impatient Kournikova, given time, may yet fit the mould of the raging starlet.

Hingis's glow at the Australian Open and at last weekend's Lipton Championships, where she beat the still unfit Monica Seles 6-1, 6-2, has let light shine on an international tennis product that was beginning to lose its lustre. After Seles was stabbed, Steffi Graf cornered the market in Grand Slam titles. But over the years Graf lost her charm. And women's tennis needs its charm.

Graf has stated on a number of occasions that her career will not extend into her thirties. As her hunger wanes, her remarkable career may end sooner rather than later.

More critically, though, tennis will have to answer for the career curves of the three players and the pressures they are likely to have to bear. What other 16 year old has ever had to sign a deal worth $14 million as Hingis did recently with her clothes sponsor Tacchini? What other teenager would have to bear speculation about their weight, physical features and the size of their hips and breasts as Seles had to as she matured?

Why is it that so few people in the sport have expressed their discomfort at the way pubescent girls have been able to climb up so far in the world rankings. Money is the answer, but swimming and gymnastics aside, it is the only other mainstream sport that draws from such a young pool at the top level.

Swimming and gymnastics explain their teenage trends by hydrodynamics and by the greater flexibility of younger bodies. Tennis cannot point to anything so convincingly scientific.

Neither Hingis, Kournikova or the six foot Williams are fully developed physically and only Hingis has matured quickly enough to have acquired any real tactical acumen. Williams has yet to come up against the cream of the game. But her demolition of lesser lights suggests that her transition to the higher level will be seamless.

"She's going to be one of the great players of the future and maybe, that could even be this year, said Davenport after she had beaten Williams in Florida. "Her serve is a level above all other girls when it goes in. I was surprised she could come and play at this level after four months with no matches. That's pretty remarkable."

Kournikova is perhaps more flawed. Where Hingis is confident, well mannered and plays with intelligence, Kournikova is physically better developed but hasty and occasionally petulant.

"She doesn't take much time in between points. She's always in a hurry," said Paulus after getting beaten by Kournikova at last year's US Open.

In a hurry. Maybe that's what they all have in common.