Zvonareva beats Pironkova in 3 sets at Wimbledon to reach first Grand Slam final

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Zvonareva beats Pironkova to reach Wimbledon final

WIMBLEDON, England — Vera Zvonareva reached her first Grand Slam final Thursday, rallying to beat Tsvetana Pironkova in three sets in the semifinals at Wimbledon.

The 21st-seeded Russian came back from a set down to beat the 82nd-ranked Bulgarian 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the day’s first semifinal on Centre Court. She was in command after breaking in the sixth game of the second set, winning 10 of the last 13 games.

Zvonareva has battled a reputation for fading in big matches but held her nerve on the biggest stage in tennis to set up a possible final against defending champion Serena Williams, who faced unseeded Petra Kvitova.

Zvonareva became the second-lowest ranked player to make the Wimbledon women’s final. In the process, she prevented Pironkova from becoming the first unseeded women’s singles finalist at the All England Club.

“I’m very excited. I think I’m not realizing it at the moment,” said Zvonareva, who wore a towel over her head during changeovers to maintain concentration. “It was very tough out there. She’s a very young player but a very, very tough opponent and she started so well. I’m happy with the way I was able to hang in the match and able to turn it around.”

The 25-year-old Zvonareva’s previous best showing in a Grand Slam was a semifinal appearance at the 2009 Australian Open.

Pironkova, who stunned five-time champion Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, seemed in control after breaking Zvonareva in the sixth game and taking the first set in 32 minutes.

But the matched turned around completely after the Russian converted on her first break point to go up 4-2 in the second set. She came to net behind a forehand approach and put away a backhand winner for the break.

“I was thinking about what I got to do,” Zvonareva said. “I’ve got to be a little bit quicker. I’ve got to play a little bit more aggressive. I was not thinking about that I lost the first set.”

From the middle of the second set, Zvonareva dictated the pace and won six of seven games at one stage. She broke two more times in the third set and served out the match convincingly, finishing with an inside-out forehand winner.

Zvonareva had 31 winners and 13 unforced errors, while Pironkova had 23 winners and 16 errors.

Zvonareva has long been considered a top talent in the game, but someone who has failed to live up to her potential, even breaking into tears during matches.

“She was so emotional and would get down on herself, and now she seems like one of the most composed players on the WTA Tour,” said former Wimbledon champion Lindsay Davenport. “For her it was a mental game, and so far it hasn’t been a problem.”

The men’s semifinals are Friday, with second-seeded Rafael Nadal facing No. 4 Andy Murray, and No. 3 Novak Djokovic playing Tomas Berdych. Nadal leads Murray 7-3, while Djokovic is 2-0 against Berdych.

Missing from the semifinals for the first time since 2002 is six-time champion Roger Federer, who was beaten in four sets by Berdych in the quarters.

Since winning his 16th Grand Slam title in Australia in January, Federer has not been the usual Federer. He hasn’t won a single tournament and was beaten by Robin Soderling in the quarters at the French Open, where he was the defending champion.