Anna Kournikova
Scarlett JohanssonTo the surprise of few, the early stages of the apartment catfight were in the control of Anna, who seemed to take a smug enjoyment out of putting her American opponent in equal parts helplessness and pain. But it eventually became more evident that Scarlett was intentionally staying on the defensive, taking the measure of her adversary and probing for weak spots. And when the opportunity to strike finally came, Johansson seized it with abandon.
Kournikova's visage of supreme self-confidence rapidly melted into a mask of confusion and, soon enough, fear as Scarlett countered her moves and began inflicting real damage with maneuvers of her own. As Johansson had concluded going into this match, the Russian had grown so complacent fighting hand-picked second-raters like Nikki Reed and Blake Lively, her once-vaunted combat instincts had dulled...and the American wasn't about to give her the chance to sharpen them again tonight.
The end came as Scarlett scooped up Anna and held her aloft for several moments, showing her off as a huntress would a prize trophy, and then she brought Kournikova down across her bent knee with a backbreaker bodyslam. The Russian shrieked in agony, and then her body went limp. Johansson shoved her off of her knee and let her opponent flop down to the floor, where she rolled listlessly to her back.
To her credit, Anna did attempt to rise up on her elbows and continue the fight, but although the spirit was willing, the flesh was no longer able. Johansson put her foot down upon her fallen rival's chest and shoved her back to the carpet, keeping it planted there in a symbolic show of triumph over the Russian on her own native soil. But even the elite Russians in attendance now cheered Scarlett, praising her for her victory, while the once-haughty Kournikova, now knocked so unceremoniously from her throne, shed a tear of humiliation.
