Vera Zvonareva Stuns Caroline Wozniacki, Advances to US Open Final

Recently turned 26-year-old Vera Zvonareva of Russia stunned tournament sweetheart and No.1-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, to advance into the U.S. Open final.

The No. 7-seeded Zvonareva broke Wozniacki's 13-match winning streak by limiting her errors and playing aggressive tennis throughout the match. Both Wozniacki and Zvonareva came into the match without dropping a set the entire tournament.

Zvonareva, this year's Wimbledon runner-up, has matured by leaps and bounds in just one year. Last summer, she suffered a frightening on-court meltdown during her fourth round U.S. Open match in 2009 against Flavia Pennetta. Zvonareva was crying on the court, while cursing at the officials and tearing at bandages that covered her body. She had a previous history of letting her emotions get the best of her, but has learned to tame them, now having advanced to her second straight Grand Slam final.

On Friday, she showed extreme patience throughout the match against Wozniacki.

Zvonareva won 70 percent of her first-serve points, while Wozniacki struggled with her serve -- winning just 55 percent of points off her first serve. Zvonareva generated five more winners and committed six less unforced errors. She had better numbers at net and served three more aces than Wozniacki. Zvonareva was the more patient and precise player on Friday, winning 69 total match points compared to Wozniacki's 55.

Wozniacki credited Zvonareva's spectacular play after the match in her press conference. "She played a really good game, definitely," Wozniacki said. "You know, she was not missing a lot. She was going for her shots. Most things were going in. You know, I had chances, and I don't know, I made some mistakes today that I usually don't do."

The 20-year-old Wozniacki had her back against the wall from the onset of the match. She had to fight off double-break point in the opening game of the first set to hold serve and looked a bit shaky. She was lucky enough to hold, but then lost her next service game to go down early in the first set, with Zvonareva taking the lead at 2-1. Unable to convert on two break points during the next game in the first set, Wozniacki fell behind 3-1 and Zvonareva grabbed the first set 6-4 off her powerful groundstrokes.

Wozniacki saved two break points in the opening game of the second set. However, the Dane was not so lucky in her next service game when Zvonareva broke her again for the set's first break to go up 2-1, just like the first set. Wozniacki showed resilience by conjuring up a vital break of serve against Zvonareva to level at 2 games apiece in the set and go on serve. But to her credit, Zvonareva kept her composure after losing her service game, which easily could have turned the momentum of the match upside down for the Russian.

Zvonareva, instead, went on to break Wozniacki back in the fifth game of the second set to go up 3-2. She then held to go up 4-2 and take a commanding lead in the contest. Both then held serve to make it 5-3 in Zvonareva's favor. Wozniacki continued to commit a multitude of errors in her final service game when she was broken and consequently ousted from the tournament in surprising fashion.

A majority of Wozniacki's errors in the match came on her forehand. When asked about that, the Dane was perplexed and succinctly responded, "I don't know."

Zvonareva advances to her first ever final at Flushing Meadows where she will face the winner of the Kim Clijsters-Venus Williams semifinal match.