Vera Zvonareva tennis star

Vera Zvonareva signs autographs after her match Monday at the U.S. Open.

Vera Zvonareva, the No. 2 seed in the women’s draw at the United States Open, will be talking with Straight Sets about her experiences throughout the tournament. On Thursday afternoon, she spoke about her second-round match on Wednesday against Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine, which Zvonareva won 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Zvonareva was an emotional presence in a hard-fought match, and at times was clearly unhappy with her racket. Here, her account of the match:

Nothing really was bothering me–it was a tough match. Emotions are part of the sport — you win a point and pump yourself up and you lose a point and you can use your anger to pump yourself then too.
Broken strings are something you don’t expect. That was weird; I practiced the whole week last week and didn’t have any problems. If the humidity drops, it gets dry and the strings get dry and break. I really like the strings I was playing with but I cannot accept when strings break–it will cost me points and maybe a match. During the tournament it is really impossible to change strings, but it is something we will look into after this is over.
I have known Kateryna for years and the last time I played her, six or seven years ago, it was a tough match. She is very dangerous and I expected a tough match. I was a little upset that I let her get back into the match during the second set–I had to start over again in the third set. That is something I should not allow myself to do in upcoming matches.
It takes me time to get used to my opponent. Once I figured it out I could come up with the right shots. It took me a little longer; she hits a clean backhand pretty flat and she is a good mover on the court. As the match went on I started doing everything more consistent, I was able to be a little more precise.
I had a nice practice session this morning–regular stuff–and an autograph session, and then I’ll have a lazy afternoon–that’s the best preparation.
On Monday afternoon, Zvonareva spoke about her match earlier that day vs. Stephanie Foretz Gacon, which Zvonareva dominated 6-3, 6-0:
It is never easy. It always looks easier from the side. I think the level of tennis is very high at the moment and there are no easy opponents. The whole draw is packed with players who are tough.

You have to fight for every point; if you lose your concentration you lose the match. I think I did well with all of the conditions there are to deal with. It is always tough to play the first match of a tournament. Each city has different courts, different surfaces, different balls — you always have to make adjustments, You cannot play the same way at every tournament. You have to adjust your style.
And no matter how much you practice you always feel a little rusty in your first match of a tournament. Your decisions are not as quick; maybe the game is not as precise as you wish it to be. It can create more unforced errors, and that’s always difficult. But once you have that first match you really feel better. You know what to expect from the court, the weather, all those conditions.
I just played my game today against Stephanie. I had some unforced errors but when I needed it I came up with some good shots. I was always putting pressure on and fighting for every point and she couldn’t find her rhythm. If I do let her find her rhythm it could be a different match — if you always apply pressure your opponent never knows what to expect from you and that makes it difficult for them.
I try to use my challenges like I did today — sometimes I know my ball was out but I just want to check how long it is. When you have long matches you try to save challenges for the important moments. If I feel like I am losing my focus I can challenge to take my time to refocus.

Vera Zvonareva nice shot

Vera Zvonareva

Vera Zvonareva dresses

Vera Zvonareva hit the ball powerfully

After a slow start, Zvonareva reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and then went on to make it to the last four at Pattaya city. She then continued the same form to win titles at Doha and Baku along with a recent final performance at Carlsbad last month. She beat Foretz Stephanie in the first round and then cracked a win against Kateryna Bondarenko in drilling three set match-up to set up a third set encounter against Medina Garrigues at this year’s US Open.

Medina Garrigues had a weak start as she was popping out early at almost all tournaments she played. But then she found form in July when she got to the semi-final in Budapest and won a title at Palermo. The Spaniard later reached the quarterfinals at New Haven too. She beat Karin Knapp in the first round and then went past Laura Robson to set up a clash with the world number two in the third round.

Both the players have met four times before and the head-to-head stands at 3-1 in Zvonareva’s favour. The last time they met was in 2008 in Zurich where Zvonarena walked through the match in the middle of the second set. Zvonareva is armed with commendable foot-work and can shoot aggressive forehands from any part of the court. Medina Garrigues can craft tactical rallies and can work sharp angled ground strokes. Zvonareva should be able to come through in two tight sets.

Vera Zvonareva tennis star

Vera Zvonareva shot the ball