Vera Zvonareva breezed past Kazakh tennis player Yaroslava Shedova to grab a spot at the WTA Open Pattaya quarterfinals. Zvonareva, who was ranked fifth, her highest rank yet, struggled for the first sets before managing a break in the 10th game and again in the second set before sealing the game in a matter of 1 hour and 40 minutes.
“It was difficult coming off a Grand Slam and plays a new tournament which has different conditions, especially here which is hot and has two courts next to each other. It’s difficult to concentrate because of the noises,” Zvonareva said in an effort to explain her initial difficulties before she was able to make her first break.
She is slated to play against Chinese player Peng Shuai in the quarter finals. Although feeling fairly confident, Zvonareva also thinks she has a worthy opponent in Peng Shuai, saying, “She is an up-and-coming player. She can be very dangerous if she keeps working hard like she is doing now. She has a few good wins. Every time we play, they’ve been tough three sets.”
Zvonareva is an Olympic medalist, winning bronze in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She and partner Anastasia Myskina won the decisive final rubber to arrive at their Fed Cup victory. She was also the opening rubber in the Fed Cup Final in their match against Spain and played an important role in helping the team win for the third time in four years.