Second seed Vera Zvonareva eased past Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-2 6-3 on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open where she will meet Australian nemesis Sam Stosur.
Zvonareva, runner-up at Flushing Meadows last year to Kim Clijsters, played a steady match from the baseline and picked her spots to charge the net in dismissing the surprise Wimbledon semifinalist.
The Russian, who also reached last year’s Wimbledon final before bowing to Serena Williams, made just 11 unforced errors and converted 10 of 11 points she contested at the net.
“I think I played a very consistent match today and I think I was able to raise the level of my game compared to my three previous matches,” Zvonareva said.
“I started off well, and then didn’t let her find her rhythm in the first set.”
The Russian overcame an early service break in the second set to extend her unbeaten record over Lisicki to four matches.
Tough matches
Zvonareva has lost her last seven matches to ninth-seeded Stosur, a 6-2 6-7 6-3 winner over fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, after winning their first.
“Actually, the last couple of times I played against Sam we played very tight matches,” Zvonareva said. “We’ve always had tough ones.”
Stosur set a US Open women’s record for the longest match in her three-set marathon against Russia’s Nadia Petrova in the previous round.
“I know that Sam is an experienced player,” said Zvonareva. “She’s a fit player. But we will see.
“I think I’ll have to show my best tennis to beat her. I’m excited about the next challenge.” — Reuters