Zvonareva's Exhibition Victory over Wozniacki a Confidence Boost for Aussie Open

Is Vera Zvonareva ready to push for the No. 1 ranking?

Zvonareva, who has recently become known for her meltdowns on court and inability to rise to the occasion, showed what she is made of on Saturday, albeit in an exhibition tournament.

The second-ranked woman on tour, Zvonareva, crushed the world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-1, 6-0 in less than an hour at the Hong Kong Classic Exhibition Tournament.

Zvonareva controlled the match from the beginning and she hit 23 winners compared to just seven for Wozniacki.

Though this was just an exhibition tournament, straight set victories over Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki are sure to give the Russian a boost of confidence as the Australian Open approaches.

Wozniacki, on the other hand, seemed unphased by her loss. Without Serena Williams playing in Australia, the pressure will be on Wozniacki to break through and win her first major. 

That also means that the pressure will be off of the Russian, who has had much success on the small stage, but to this point has been unable to perform in the big tournaments. 

Last year, for example, Zvonareva reached the final of Wimbledon and the US Open, but she lost in straight sets in both finals. 

Following the US Open, however, she has played solidly, which is shown by her moving up to a career-high ranking of second in the world. 

The only person who can stop the Russian from winning a major is herself. During the early rounds of tournaments, she is typically composed and, as a result, is able to play her game on her terms. It is in the finals, however, that she falls apart. 

In fact, in 2010 the only women who reached at least six finals were Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva and while Wozniacki was able to play well in the big moments and win most of those finals, Zvonareva won only one of the six finals that she played in last season. 

If Zvonareva is to breakthrough in 2011, she will need to find a way to win in on the big stage. 

Her victory over Wozniacki may have been in an exhibition tournament, but a win over the No. 1 player in the world in a final is always a positive, and it may very well be the beginning of a breakthrough year for the Russian. 

Is an Australian Open title in the cards for Zvonareva? Will she win a major in 2011? 

If she can learn to stay composed in big matches, then I say "yes." 

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