DUBAI // Vera Zvonareva considers herself a perfectionist and can often be hard on herself. Her breakdowns on court and racket-slamming antics are all due to that trait.
The world No 3, however, had few reasons to be upset yesterday as she breezed past Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-1 in 66 minutes to move into the third round of the US$2.05 million (Dh7.5m) Dubai Duty Free Women's Tennis Championship.
"It's never easy to play Roberta," Zvonareva said. "She's a tricky player. It was a tough match. It always looks a little bit easier from the side; on the court it is never easy.
"I think I managed it really well. It's never easy to start the tournament and to play your first match. You're still trying to get used to conditions. The ball is flying a little bit here, so you have to make some adjustments.
"I think I'm pretty happy the way I managed the match. I had some unforced errors out there, but at the same time I had some great points. So I'm happy overall. Just looking forward to the next one."
Given her commanding performance on the Centre Court, Zvonareva has clearly emerged as one of the early favourites for the winner's cheque of $360,000. She is also looking good to continue her renaissance, which includes two grand slam final appearances last year and the Australian Open semi-final last month.
"It's been a very good year for me," Zvonareva said. "I had no expectations last year. At the end of 2009 I had ankle surgery and it was a bit of a difficult time out there.
"I was just trying to take it one day at a time and trying to enjoy playing. I have put a lot of hard work into it. I spend tons of hours. I trained eight hours a day in trying to get back and I am happy it paid off.
"I am trying to keep up. There are so many good players out there. It's tough competition every day, but I am trying to do my best and we will see where it is going to take me."
The 26-year-old is also trying to rein in the negative impacts of her emotions and turn them into a weapon. "I am an emotional person and it's part of the game," she said. "I am not like Serena Williams - I can't serve aces. I am not like Maria Sharapova - I can't hit a winner on every single ball. I don't have all these things and I am still among the top three players out there.
"I will always be emotional. As long as I use those emotions to my advantage, that's only a plus to me.
"If I need to break the racket to pump myself up, I will break the racket. I don't care."
[ arizvi@thenational.ae ]
ABU DHABI T10: DAY TWO
Bangla Tigers v Deccan Gladiators (3.30pm)
Delhi Bulls v Karnataka Tuskers (5.45pm)
Northern Warriors v Qalandars (8.00pm)
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Sri Lanka squad for tri-nation series
Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Janith Perera, Thisara Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Shehan Madushanka, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan and Wanidu Hasaranga
The five pillars of Islam
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at the Gabba
Australia 312-1
Warner 151 not out, Burns 97, Labuschagne 55 not out
Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
Civil War
Director: Alex Garland
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Nick Offerman
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
Saturday's results
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder
Power: 101hp
Torque: 135Nm
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Price: From Dh79,900
On sale: Now
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m