Friends and colleagues of a stunning 23-year-old up-and-coming tennis player have expressed shock at the news she had dropped dead from heart failure.

Russian Violetta Degtiareva was already ranked 1,084 in the world with her highest ranking at 947 despite her young age. Her most notable career moment was reaching the quarter-finals at the ITF-Turnier in Turkey.

But her stunning good looks meant she was being hailed as the next Anna Kournikova.

Russian Violetta Degtiareva was already ranked 1,084 in the world - at just 23 years of age

Degtiareva was hailed as the next Anna Kournikova because of her stunning good looks

Also Russian, her beauty gave her celebrity status and helped to make her one of the highest-paid players.

Blonde Violetta had started to attract similar fame, but has now suddenly died after apparently collapsing during a training session.

The blonde beauty, who was born in the city of Rostov in south-western Russia close to the border with Ukraine, reportedly suffered heart failure and it is not yet clear as to whether she died at her training centre or on the way to hospital.

News of her death was not immediately released and only became public when her close friend and fellow tennis player Anastasia Vdovenco, 20, posted it on Facebook, where it was picked up by Russian media.

Anastasia said: 'I can hardly believe it. Rest in peace.'

Media reports did not specify where Violetta was training when she was taken ill.

The blonde beauty, who was born in the city of Rostov in south-western Russia close to the border with Ukraine, reportedly suffered heart failure

Friends of Degtiareva have expressed their shock at her death, which seems to have happened in training