The Russian females are all over the grand slams. Kournikova was a loser compared to her Russian compatriots. She used her looks to get the fame and money her tennis could not provide her.
Thanks to doordarshan that has been broadcasting the highlights of the rounds and live relay of the knock out rounds since early nineties, grand slam tennis has a large viewership in India. The fact that most knock out rounds take place in the weekends, and mostly in the evenings and late nights by Indian standards just adds to the viewership. Doordarshan makes money by pushing in ads during the breaks between the games.
The last time i checked, there are no desi females other than sania who win matches in grand slams. That is the reason the Indian media hypes her.