2011 Sony Ericsson Open WTA Part 3: Vera Zvonareva
World Number 3 Vera Zvonareva
Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva is currently ranked World Number 3, and is seeded third at this year’s Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. The player is 26 years old, and has been playing tennis in a professional capacity since 2000.
She joined the tour in September of that year, and has spent over ten years as a pro. She is well known for speed and good form, as well as her flat, powerful groundstrokes. Her best shot is her vicious two-handed backhand, although
she is known to use different styles of play to her advantage during a match. One of her greatest failings, however, is her tendency to lose confidence and destroy her own game as soon as she comes up against obstacles during matches. She is coached by Sergey
Demekhin, and her fitness trainer is Sergey Homutov.
Zvonareva made her first appearance at the Miami tournament in 2001, when she was ranked World Number 354. Her attempt was unremarkable, as she was ousted by World Number 104 and eleventh seed Maria Vento-Kabchi in straight sets
in the first round. She participated in the tournament repeatedly after this year, but the first time she left an impact on spectators was in 2007.
At the 2007 Miami tournament, Zvonareva was ranked World Number 20. She was seeded eighteenth at that time, and received a bye in the first round. Her first match at the event was in the second round against American pro Meilen
Tu. The Russian pro defeated her opponent in straight sets to set up a meeting with Slovakian sixteenth seed Daniela Hantuchova, who suffered another straight-sets defeat at the hands of Zvonareva. Her run ended in the fourth round, when then-World Number
1 Justine Henin ousted her easily.
Her performance at the tournament in the previous year seemed to have given Zvonareva confidence for the 2010 Miami tournament. She was still ranked World Number 20, and received a bye into the second round as a seeded player.
Her first conquest was Russian pro Ekaterina Bychkova in the second round, after which she ousted another fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova in the third round. Her next opponent was Japanese tennis player Ai Sugiyama, whom she defeated in three sets to conquer
compatriot Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals. Zvonareva was defeated by fourth seed Jelena Jankovic in straight sets in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Zvonareva’s latest showing at the tournament was in 2010, when she was ranked World Number 23. The Russian was seeded eleventh at the tournament, and played in the second round to defeat American player Melanie Oudin. Her next
opponent was Italian pro Sara Errani, whom she defeated in straight sets to take on Justine Henin in the fourth round. Henin defeated her once again in straight sets.
Zvonareva has climbed up the charts considerably since her last showing, and is expected to perform well at this year’s tournament.
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