Serena Williams vs. Vera Zvonareva: Score, Reaction from 2015 Australian Open
Vera Zvonareva got a break on Serena Williams early. Then she got another. And then, just when you thought an upset was in the making, the world's top-ranked player went about breaking Zvonareva's will.
Williams battled back from that early mistake to record a 7-5, 6-0 victory over the unseeded Russian, advancing to the third round at the 2015 Australian Open.
Mistake-prone early on, Williams got back into her groove by overpowering Zvonareva. She hit five aces and 32 winners, slamming the door shut by scattering her opponent all over the court. The top-seeded American won 70 percent of her first-serve points and two-thirds of her serves overall.
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Despite the at-times contentious first set, Williams was able to advance in one hour and 25 minutes. She's been on the court for just two hours and 26 minutes overall in the sweltering Australian heat. The win moves her to an 8-3 record all-time against Zvonareva, a former world No. 2 who lost to Williams in the 2010 Wimbledon final.
"She's on the way back. I know she's been fighting and playing really hard," Williams told reporters of Zvonareva, whose rise was halted by a series of injuries.
Zvonareva played like a woman on the rise in the first set. Prepared with well-placed and hard-struck returns from the outset, Zvonareva broke Williams on her first serve to take an early advantage. While Williams broke back on Zvonareva's second serve, she was far from done being tested.
The Russian scampered beautifully across the court to earn her second break at 4-3, forcing Williams into errors on returns she never expected Zvonareva to make.
After Zvonareva held serve to go up 5-3, the faint whispers of an upset started to become a roar. It was at that point Serena Williams became Serena Williams again. She held off set points to keep her serve, broke Zvonareva after being down 0-30 and then went about taking control. Other than a few complaints about the sun being in her eyes, Williams didn't look rattled whatsoever as she closed 7-5.
The second set fell much more in line with expectations. Williams looked totally rejuvenated by her comeback, wildly gesticulating after winners and building on her momentum. Zvonareva looked like someone who knew her best chance had already passed.
Taking the second set, 6-0, in a breezy 27 minutes, Williams helped assuage any concerns about her status. She won all but two of her serve points despite accurately striking only five of 14 first-serve attempts. Zvonareva was held without a winner against eight unforced errors. It was something of a polar opposite to her first-round match against Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck, where she blazed through the first set before a more competitive second.
Up next for Williams is the winner of Thursday's later matchup between Nicole Gibbs and Elina Svitolina. Williams has faced each woman only once, earning breezy straight-sets triumphs over both. Gibbs is considered one of the United States' brightest young faces, while the Ukrainian Svitolina has already ascended to No. 26 at age 20.
Williams entered Melbourne as the unquestioned favorite, but there was also plenty of room for skepticism. A five-time winner at the year's first major, Williams hasn't won Down Under or even made it past the quarterfinals since 2010. Her fourth-round exit last year helped pave the way for a miserable first three Slams before righting the ship at the season-ending U.S. Open.
Back in stride for the new year and now with 100 consecutive weeks at No. 1, Williams said she's optimistic about passing Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert to tie for the third-most major titles in history with Helen Wills Moody. Margaret Court is the all-time leader with 24 Grand Slam titles.
"It's in the back of my mind (a 19th title) but at the same time there are so many other players who want to win this tournament as well," Williams told reporters. "If I could get to 19 in Australia that would be beyond amazing. I have a lot of work to do but I am just going to enjoy myself."
Given the way the women's bracket has gone so far, one has a hard time blaming Williams for being optimistic. Eleven seeded players have already made their exit, including five in the top half. Williams' top half is much more crowded than the bottom, but Petra Kvitova is the greatest obstacle remaining. Kvitova has lost to Williams five out of the six times they've played.
Nearly everything is breaking right for the world No. 1 to extend her lead over the field. But as Zvonareva proved in the first set, these things are often much easier said than done.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.
All stats via AusOpen.com
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