There was a lot to like in this one. First, there was plenty of offense on display. Both players gave the ball a ride, resulting in many eye-catching winners and an entertaining second-rounder. There's been a lot of duds in the early rounds of both draws, but this three-set affair wasn't one of them.
Second, there was Jovanovski. Though the 19-year-old lost the match, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, you have to figure she gained a substantial amount of confidence and experience from her time in Melbourne. Her game, which I really enjoyed watching, should only continue to improve. The Serb has nice, compact groundstrokes, but doesn't lack for power on either side. She moves well, looks to be in fine shape and kept up with the world No. 2 for the majority of the match. In the end, the errors exceeded the winners (48 to 25), but staying the course—by continuing to hit out—will bear fruit down the road.
Finally, there was Zvonareva. While the two-time Grand Slam finalist will need to win a Slam to truly get the monkey off her back, that doesn't mean we should gloss over this effort. The Russian served well, weathered the Serbian storm and raised her game as the pressure heightened. Unlike Jelena Jankovic, she survived a tricky second-round match on Day 4, keeping her alive in a relatively weak quarter of the draw.
—Ed McGrogan