Second-seeded Vera Zvonareva needed three sets to reach the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday.
The Russian beat 69th-ranked Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Last year’s runner-up at Flushing Meadows and Wimbledon, Zvonareva had to make the third round here to stay in the top five of the rankings.
She overcame 46 unforced errors to advance. Bondarenko had won her last two matches against top-five opponents. She reached the quarterfinals at the 2009 U.S. Open, her best Grand Slam result. Zvonareva failed to make it past the fourth round in her last two major tournaments.
