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| Birth Name(s) : Vera Zvonareva |
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Full Vera Zvonareva Biography
Vera Zvonareva (pronunciation: VEH-ruh zvon-a-RYOH-vuh, Russian: Ð'ера Звонарёва (listen (help·info)), born September 7, 1984, Moscow, Russia) is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. On August 9, 2004, she reached her career high ranking of No. 9 in the world.
Zvonareva was born September 7, 1984 in Moscow, Russia to Igor Zvonarev and Natalia Zvonareva. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six by her mother, although no other members of her family play the game.
Zvonareva started to compete on the ITF Circuit in 1999, debuting at an ITF tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia. She qualified for the main draw there. The next year, she won an ITF event in Moscow, Russia without dropping a set, despite being unranked. The event is just the second event she has played in her career. She made her WTA-level debut at Tier I Moscow, beating 148th-ranked Elena Bovina before losing to eleventh-ranked Anna Kournikova in the second round. In 2001, she failed to qualify for WTA events in Miami and Moscow, but reached a semifinal in the ITF Circuit.
2002 is Zvonareva's first season in which she started to play more WTA-level events. She won her second ITF Circuit title in Naples, Florida, and then reached her first singles final on the WTA Tour at Palermo, losing to Mariana Diaz-Oliva in three sets. She also achieved semifinal finishes in Warsaw, Sopot plus a quarterfinal finish in Bol. Zvonareva qualified for her Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros, where she reached the fourth round, stretching eventual champion Serena Williams to three sets. At the US Open, she stretched seventh-ranked Kim Clijsters of Belgium to the limit, losing 16 75 64 in the third round. She broke the Top 100 after Roland Garros, then the Top 50 after the US Open.
Zvonareva had a breakthrough season in 2003. She won the title in Bol, beating Conchita Martinez Granados in the final, and reaching three other semifinals (including Tier II Linz). At Roland Garros, she defeated third-ranked Venus Williams in the fourth round for her best career victory so far, but fell in the quarters to Nadia Petrova. Before beating Williams, she defeated tenth-ranked Anastasia Myskina in Berlin for her first Top 10 win. After her Roland Garros showing, she broke the Top 20. Out of seven Tier I events she contested, six ended in the quarterfinals. Her debut for the Russian Fed Cup team was in the World Group quarterfinals against Slovenia. Russia won 5-0 but lost to Russia 3-2 in the semifinals. In doubles, she reached her first WTA final at Moscow with Myskina. She ended 2003 ranked No. 13 in the world.
Zvonareva has won five WTA Tour singles titles, four WTA Tour doubles titles and two ITF Women's Circuit singles titles. In her first few years on the pro tour, she became known for her fragile psyche, often breaking down in tears during matches. Critics cited her unstable emotions as a reason why her results may have fallen short of her expectations. Her first Slam quarterfinal came at the 2003 French Open, defeating Venus Williams in the fourth round. Of her five singles titles, two have been at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee.
She won women's doubles in the US Open in 2006 partnering Nathalie Dechy of France. She also won mixed doubles in the US Open in 2004 and the 2006 Wimbledon mixed doubles with Andy Ram of Israel 6-2, 6-3 against Bob Bryan and Venus Williams. In the 2006 US Open, she also played with Andy Ram.
At the 2007 Pacific Life Open, Zvonareva stunned World No. 1 Maria Sharapova, who was the defending champion, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the fourth round. It was her first ever victory over a reigning World No. 1. She fell in the next round to Chinese phenomenon Li Na.
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- A = did not participate in the tournament
- 1 If the ITF women's circuit participations are included, then her overall win-loss record stands at 240-130. |
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