Zvonareva reaches US Open 3rd round

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Zvonareva reaches US Open 3rd round

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Zvonareva beat Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to reach third round of US Open Tennis Tournament.

01 September,2011 02:52 am

Second-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva reached the third round of the US Open with a three-set victory over 69th-ranked Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine.Zvonareva, beaten by Kim Clijsters in the final at Flushing Meadows last year, survived 46 unforced errors to emerge with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory.Zvonareva, whose two WTA titles this season took her career tally to 12, next faces Spains 30th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues, who beat British qualifier Laura Robson 6-2, 6-3.World number four Andy Murray was the top mens seed in action on Wednesday, taking on Indias Somdev Devvarman in a first-round match.Since reaching the final here in 2008, Murray has failed to make the quarter-finals the past two years, a trend hes hoping to reverse.Juan Martin del Potro, returning to the US Open for the first time since he won the 2009 title, faced Filippo Volandri.Del Potro, seeded 18th, was unable to defend his title last year as he recovered from a wrist injury that sidelined him from January to Setpember of 2010.This season the Argentinian has been steadily rebuilding his ranking, winning titles at Delray Beach and Estoril and reaching the semi-finals in three other tournaments.Sixth-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden withdrew with a viral illness on Wednesday. Lucky loser Rogerio Dutra Da Silva took his place in the draw and defeated Louk Sorensen when the Irish qualifier retired while trailing in their match.Da Silva was up 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 when Sorensen bowed out, becoming the second Irishman to call it quits early after ailing Conor Niland retired while trailing world number one Novak Djokovic on Tuesday.New York fans had plenty of home hopes to cheer for with eight American men in action.They included Andy Roddick, who was to face compatriot Michael Russell for a second-round berth, and big-serving John Isner, who was to face Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.The two will be playing for the third time in four tournaments, with Baghdatis seeking to avenge recent defeats in Montreal and Winston-Salem.Two former womens champions, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams, were seeking third round berths.Williams, unseeded at Flushing Meadows for the first time since her debut in 1997, faced big-serving German Sabine Lisicki, a Wimbledon semi-finalist.Third-seeded Sharapova, who clawed her way past British teenager Heather Watson to reach the second round, took on Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus.