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Zvonareva achieves lifelong dream
Men's Tennis, 16:31, July 1, 2010 ,
Vera Zvonareva admits she has dreamed of reaching the Wimbledon final after beating Tsvetana Pironkova in the semi-finals.
The Russian star lost the first set but bounced back to level affairs before easing through the decider to run out a 3-6 6-3 6-2 winner at SW19.
The 21st seed was a regular in the world's top 10 a couple of years ago but injury has seen her drop down the rankings and she has become the second lowest-ranked Wimbledon finalist since computerised rankings were introduced in the mid-1970s.
World number 82 Pironkova stunned Venus Williams in the quarter-finals and looked on course to repeat the dose on Thursday, but Zvonareva's class finally shone through and she will play the winner of the Serena Williams - Petra Kvitova encounter.
And the Moscow-born 25-year-old was overwhelmed to finally make it to the one final that she always wanted to appear in.
"At the moment it's not easy to realise what I've achieved," she told BBC Sport. "It was very tough out there because she started so well.
"I'm happy with the way I managed to hang in and turn it round. It was important to put the first set behind me and concentrate on my game - I needed to be quicker and more aggressive.
"It was very tough because I knew if I gave her chances she would take them. The reach the final is very exciting, it's always been one of my dreams to be out there."