Carlsbad, Calif. - In their ninth meeting on the WTA Tour, Vera Zvonareva of Russia eliminated fifth seed Ana Ivanovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in two-hours and 22 minutes on Saturday evening to reach the final at the Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center. 

 

Zvonareva broke serve in the first game by applying pressure on the baseline as well as at net, quickly gaining a 3-1 lead. Ivanovic followed closely behind as she held serve for the rest of the set and broke Zvonareva's twice. Double faulting at 15-40, the Russian lost the set 7-5.

 

Both players began staying in the backcourt to duel points through hard-hitting baseline rallies. Playing with "first-strike" tennis, both players kept exchanges short and hit aggressive ground strokes to set up easy winners. With just one break of serve in the third game, Zvonareva won the set. 

 

After breaking Ivanovic's serve at 30-40 in the first game, Zvonareva scored 12 consecutive points to gain a 4-0 lead. At 40-30 in the eighth game, Zvonareva hits a 97-mph slice ace to set up the first match point, but Ivanovic drives a forehand deep to stay in the match. 

 

Losing focus, the Russian served two double faults, which allowed Ivanovic to come back 3-5. Zvonareva converted the second match point with a forehand error into the net from Ivanovic's racket. 

 

On a nine match win streak, Zvonareva seeks her second consecutive title after winning in Baku two weeks ago. With a 2-0 career head-to-head, she faces Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland on Sunday, who has won 8 of the last 9 matches here in Carlsbad.

 

Individual tickets are now on sale for the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open, July 30 to August 7 at the La Costa Resort and Spa.  Reserved grandstand and box seat tickets, which range from $10-$125, are now available online at mercuryinsuranceopen.com or through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com.  Tournament ticket packages are also on sale and begin at $70.

 

The Mercury Insurance Open, a Premier 700 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event offering $721,000 in prize money, will feature a 56-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw in 2011. The women’s professional tennis event returned to the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad in 2010 after a two-year hiatus.  Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova won the singles title last summer when she defeated Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in the final. The tournament will be televised on the Tennis Channel and ESPN 2.

 

The Mercury Insurance Open is a participating tournament in the Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Series, now in its eighth year, is a six-week summer tennis season that links 10 ATP World Tour and WTA tournaments together. The series leads into the US Open. The Mercury Insurance Open is the second women’s event within the series. For additional information about the Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center, log onto http://www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com/, join us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SDTennis) or follow frequent updates on Twitter (http://twitter.com/MercuryInsOpen).  Text “CARLSBAD” to 55333 to join the tournament’s VIP text club and receive up-to-the-minute news, tournament information and player announcements right on your mobile device. Standard text message rates apply.   

              

About Mercury Insurance

Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization predominantly offering personal automobile and homeowners insurance through a network of independent agents and brokers in California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Arizona, New York, Georgia, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Founded in 1962, Mercury specializes in providing quality insurance at affordable prices – core values that distinguish Mercury in the marketplace. For more information about Mercury Insurance, visit www.mercuryinsurance.com.

 

About Tri-City Medical Center

Tri-City Medical Center is a Joint Commission gold seal accredited, full-service, acute care hospital with three advanced clinical institutes and physicians practicing in 60 specialties. Administered by the Tri-City Healthcare District which includes Oceanside, Vista and most of Carlsbad, Tri-City is celebrating 50 years caring for the community. For more information about Tri-City Medical Center, please visit www.tricitymed.org. 

 

About Octagon Tennis

Octagon’s history and tradition in tennis dates back nearly 40 years. Octagon has played an important role in the globalization of professional tennis. Our long-standing reputation for integrity is the foundation of our leadership position in the industry. Our mission is to serve as the pre-eminent management and marketing agency worldwide for the representation of tennis players. For more information, visit www.octagontennis.com.