Today, Vera Zvonareva climbed to No. 3 in the WTA rankings. But like Caroline Wozniacki, who simultaneously ascended to the top spot, there will be questions about whether she should be there.
The two played each other today in the Beijing final, postponed until Monday because of rain. It was Zvonareva's third final in her last four tournaments, but like the previous two (Montreal and the U.S. Open), she came up short in the end. It was a competitive match—6-3, 3-6, 6-3—but the result was the same. Since winning Pattaya City back in February, Zvonareva has reached five finals, but lost every one.
Mentally strong players can get past a skid like this. They know that because they won many matches to reach these finals, they should remain confident in their abilities. Zvonareva isn't in that class, though she's certainly skilled enough to end this streak at some point. It's going to be difficult, however, because these losses will weigh on her the next time she's in a position to win.
Such mental hurdles were evident Monday. In the second set, Zvonareva smartly targeted the Wozniacki forehand, putting pressure on the Dane's weaker side. It worked—Wozniacki couldn't keep up with Zvonareva's hard, accurate strikes, and the match went three sets. But at times in the third set, Zvonareva oddly retreated from the baseline, giving Wozniacki the edge. When Wozniacki can step forward and into the ball, she's very tough to contain. She puts away short balls with smart, angled shots, using her athleticism nicely. To her credit, Zvonareva rallied well down the stretch, but she was rarely in a position to finish points.
Both Wozniacki and Zvonareva have made significant gains in 2010. It's debatable as to who's been more impressive. But for all her achievements, Zvonareva has won as many singles trophies this season as Iveta Benesova or Julia Goerges: one.
—Ed McGrogan