Simply phenomenal! Zvonareva, 39, in the US Open final for the fifth time in her career
Sergey Emelyanov September 8, 2023, 23:04 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Together with the German Laura Siegemund, the Russian tennis player is simply invincible on the courts of New York.
For the first time in her career, Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva participated in the main draw of the American Grand Slam tournament more than two decades ago. The Muscovite celebrated her 18th birthday as a participant in the third round of the 2002 US Open. In that tournament, Vera reached the round of 16, where she in a bitter fight lost to Belgian Kim Clijsters only in the third round. set.
Two years later, in New York, in mixed doubles with the owner of the American tracks, Bob Bryan, the Russian will be proclaimed TBS champion for the first time in her life. Two years later, Zvonareva would win the US Open title again, but now in doubles with Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy. The New York “Casco” gradually became an increasingly successful and happy place for Zvonareva. In 2010 she reached the women’s singles final here and ten years later, for the second time in her life, she won the US Open doubles title, now with the German Laura Siegemund.
Two highly experienced tennis players formed an excellent duo. And Vera and Laura didn’t stop after winning the US Open. In 2022 they remained undefeated in the Lyon and Miami tournaments, and this season they stood out in Washington. Once the final duel of the American “five hundred” was over, the gathered spectators gave a standing salute to the winners.
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On September 7, 2023, during the current US Open, Vera turned 39 years old. She is now one of the oldest athletes continuing to compete on the WTA circuit. Of course, Zvonareva’s best years in singles, for objective reasons, are far behind her. Since the end of 2022, she is out of the top 300. The Russian is ranked 677 in the world ranking.
However, the current US Open is symbolic for Vera. First of all, the Russian was able to reach the singles main draw through qualification, which was already a great achievement for her, because the last time she played in the TBS singles main draw was at the Australian Open – 2022. Vera did not stay in the main US Open for long, losing in the first round to Belgian Janina Wickmayer.
But the Russian woman is unlikely to be very upset by this failure. After all, as far as doubles performances go, Zvonareva is still absolutely fine. Along with Siegemund, 35, the Russian reached the semifinals of the tournament, extending their joint US Open winning streak as a couple to nine. It just so happened that after Zvonareva’s title three years ago, she didn’t play a partner at the American Slam again until this year.
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The current rivals of the Russian-German duo are the American Jennifer Brady and the Brazilian Louise Stefani. These couples had never met before. And Zvonareva and Siegemund immediately began the confrontation in the semifinals – a break in the first game and immediately a goalless game on the serve of the Russian tennis player – 2:0.
It seemed that in the next match Jennifer and Louise were able to recover from a disastrous start. The American-Brazilian duo led 40:15 and was one play away from ending the game in their favor. But the Russian and German added in time, winning four points in a row and leading 3-0 instead of 2-1.
Vera Zvonareva and Laura Siegemund
Photo: Robert Prange/Getty Images
Then Vera and Laura made a little joke at the service of the German athlete, almost losing an even more significant lead in the game (40-0). But two consecutive missed shots from Brady sent another game to the treasure of the US Open 12th seed – 2023 – 4:0. However, there was no easy way to end the set. For the final victory of the match, the Russian and the German still had to work very hard.
The American and the Brazilian did not give up and did not put down their rackets heading into the second set. They won three games in a row, reducing their gap to a minimum and reviving the intrigue in the game: 4:3. And yet, Zvonareva and Siegemund, with great difficulty, managed to bring the set, which lasted 55 minutes, to a victorious end with a score of 6:4. The last match turned out to be one of the most tense of the entire match. In it, Vera and Laura first had a double set point, then their opponents got two break points, but the last word in the game and the entire game was in the hands of Zvonareva and her partner.
The first game of the second set was marked by an absolutely phenomenal game performed by Zvonareva. To start with, the 39-year-old Russian twice took Brady’s serve and then forced the American into an error on break point. By analogy with the opening game, immediately after the break, Vera and Laura won the game with the Russian’s serve, again managing to lead very quickly with the desired advantage: 2:0.
In the fourth game, Siegemund scored with a couple of really great serves, and in the fifth, Stephanie lost her nerve: in an elementary situation, the Brazilian sent the ball over the baseline, giving Vera and Laura a three-pointer. breaking point. The Russian-German couple simply could not help but seize this opportunity: on the third break point, Zvonareva won the duel at the net, taking the second break for herself and her partner – 4:1.
Vera Zvonareva and Laura Siegemund
Photo: Robert Prange/Getty Images
Brady and Stephanie were subsequently unable to return to the game. Zvonareva and Siegemund won (6-4, 6-1), extending their joint US Open winning streak to 10. The winners of the 2020 US Open race towards another title on the courts of New York.
In the decider, Vera and Laura will play against the Canadian-Australian duo of Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe. For Zvonareva, 39, this match will be the fifth final of her career at the US Open. At the moment, Vera has two titles in pairs (2006, 2020), another in mixed doubles (2004), as well as a defeat in the singles final (2010). 19 years have passed since Vera’s first participation in the American Slam decisive match! Phenomenal longevity.
