THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MELBOURNE, Australia — Second-ranked Vera Zvonareva advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday, beating Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-2, 6-1 in less than an hour.
Zvonareva, who has reached the final of the past two Grand Slam tournaments, dominated the first set and tightened her grip on the match in the second. She conceded only four points in the first four games of the second set and didn’t allow Bammer to hold until the sixth game.
The 26-year-old Russian reached the semifinals at Melbourne Park two years ago, her best run at a major until reaching the final at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year.
"It’s tough to play your best tennis in the first match," she said. "The most important thing is I’ve done what I needed to do."