Zvonareva takes Wozniacki to advance to finals
Flushing Meadows got heated today as the 26-year-old, eighth seeded, Russian, Vera Zvonareva sent number one seeded, 20-year-old Caroline Wozniacki packing back to Denmark with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at the U.S Open.
Wozniacki had 31 unforced errors, which is unusual for the normally accurate and refined young up-and-comer. Wind undoubtedly played a factor in the outcome but when questioned as to what happened out there, the always courteous Wozniacki had this to say about her powerful opponent, “She was not missing a lot. She was going for her shots. Most things were going in. You know, I had chances and I made some mistakes today that I usually don’t do.”
Zvonareva was much more modest, “It was very difficult for both of us with this wind today, I think I was patient and aggressive like I was in previous matches.”
Though aggressive is a common way of describing her game, Zvonareva was never known for her patience or her composure. In fact Zvonareva is prone to cracking. In last year’s Open she managed to lose six match points in a row and was forced out in the fourth round by Flavia Pennetta.
Unforced errors have never been an issue for Wozniacki, but Zvonareva on the other hand is prone to them. It’s almost as if the two switched roles for the match.
The first two games were even and both sides were performing admirably, but the third game belonged to Zvonareva. She broke Wozniacki’s serve and for the rest of the set Wozniacki displayed very little in terms of a challenge. Zvonareva was assertive and strong and won the set 6-4.
In the fourth game of the second set it looked as though Zvonareva was up to her old tricks again. She followed a 40-15 lead with error after error, she lost her first break of serve and things were looking up for Wozniacki. She failed to capitalize. Zvonareva came back to win the first three points of the next game.
In the duration of the match Zvonareva managed an impressive five aces. Not only that she won 70 per cent of the points on her first serve and was 13 of 17 at the net. She ran down seemingly impossible balls and despite the wind and going through four different rackets, she still maintained her composure.
This is the first time Zvonareva will ever be admitted past the fourth round at the U.S. Open. She will now play for the U.S. Open title against Kim Clijsters, who beat Venus Williams in another upset to set up the Zvonareva-Clijsters show-down Saturday night.
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