Vera Zvonareva isn't playing for women's tennis as a whole—which is good, because there's a lot she wants (needs?) to accomplish for herself. But as the No. 2 seed, we often like to think she "represents" the game, true or not. In that sense, her three-set, first-round struggle against Alison Riske speaks poorly on the present condition of the WTA. But the takeaway we should focus on is that the result speaks poorer on her chances of winning her first Grand Slam title.
How this match even became a struggle for Zvonareva is surprising—after all, she won the first set at love. Yet the 20-year-old American replied with a 6-3 second-set triumph, prompting thoughts of a major upset on Day 1 and Zvonareva to retreat underneath her towel in between sets, looking—I can only assume—forlorn as ever. For all she's accomplished, the Russian can look incredibly fragile on the court, particularly during this puzzling changeover ritual.
Unlike Zvonareva, Riske has a short backswing on both sides; it's a "punching" shot that landed many blows today. Even behind 2-0, 30-0 in the third set, Riske fought back to 3-3. But she soon punched herself out; three break points were too many to overcome down 3-4, and Zvonareva ended the upset threat with a love hold, finishing her 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 win with an ace.
In Eastbourne, Zvonareva narrowly defeated Serena Williams, who hadn't played in nearly a year. Today, what should have been a comfortable opener quickly morphed into a fight for survival. Forget Zvonareva's ranking for a moment—those performances don't befit a Wimbledon champion.
—Ed McGrogan