Vera's Moment Of Truth

Some may say it's Elena Dementieva, Some will say it's Jelena Jankovic, but another candidate for best tennis player never to have won a grand slam (*) would have to be Vera Zvonareva. Yet when you examine her results at the majors, you will find little justification for that candidature. The 24 year old Russian has only ever reached one other grand slam quarter final. Add to this the anomaly that she's currently ranked at 7 in the world and one match from a grand slam final if she wins tonight, then you might wonder what's going on?

Well, some point to her mental frailty as the primary reason for her absense from the second week of slams for most of her career.

Despite the incontravertible progress she has made working with coach Sam Sumyk, as recently as December in the Doha final against Venus Williams, Vera once again broke down on the big stage - crying inconsolably, lying slumped on the court in the middle of the match.

It isn't her tennis that is the problem, she is a superb tennis player, something Marion has learned to her cost with back to back defeats last year at Stuttgart and Linz. Vera just seems to have serial breakdowns when the heat in really on. Even after beating Marion in that Linz semi final, she went on to play Ana Ivanovic in the final and surrendered meekly in straight sets, accumulating 34 unforced erros in the process... not a statistic one would normally associate with Vera.

Marion really got tanned in those two tennis matches. Vera's game matches up well against Marion, Vera can run from side to side at the back of the court ad infintum. On the other hand, Marion is now fitter than ever, so perhaps Vera wont find it so easy to get past Marion this time. Having visited several tennis forums and online news outlets such as Australia's, Courier Mail, frequently I read sentences which waxed lyrical about Marion.. she is now at long last playing like Monica Seles at her best I read.

Nevertheless, combined with her recent superior head to head over Marion and the fact she has not even dropped a set in the tournamnet so far, Bepa will start as the favorite - even after Marion's win the other day. Vera is the most unfavorable player Marion could have faced of the 7 other girls left in the tournament.

But in a way that should suit Marion just fine. No one expected Marion to get this far at the Australian Open. She has nothing to lose. and after Alize Cornet's tragic exit, once again Marion is in the position of being the last Frenchwoman standing on the big stage. She isn't here to make up the numbers, She has a wee shot at a grand slam here in Australia, and the way she is playing should have some more serious chances to win a slam later in the year, Wimbledon and US Open especially.

With a final in Brisbane and this quarter final so far in 2009, Marion has already amassed a decent quantity of ranking points to pursue her goal of returing to the top 10. Some of the Bartoli fans are pretty chilled just now, not fussed, at least about the match anyway.

And just remember, a win for Marion against Zvonareva is not without precedent - Marion beat Vera in the Auckland final three years ago. A warm up tournament for the Australian Open..

The weight of expectation on the back of years of unfufilled promise is squarely with Vera Zvonareva in this match. The pressure is on her to fufill what people expect of her. On paper she should have the game to beat Marion, but this isn't Linz or Stuttgart, this is the big stage, this is a grand slam.

Good Luck Marion.

(*) Of course we know it's Marion Bartoli, but try saying that in polite company and you'll get short shrift. :roll:

PS. See the blog is really popular in Switzerland today..

Broken String point from Bartoli v Zvonareva match in Stuttgart October 2 2008.

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