Zvonareva unstoppable: the 41-year-old player qualifies for the final in Dubai after a 3-hour battle

Invited to Dubai, Vera Zvonareva has turned her wild card into a fairy tale. At 41, the Russian secures a final on the professional circuit, eight years after the last one.

© Christian Mesiano - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vera_Zvonareva_at_the_2010_US_Open_01.jpg

Adrien Guyot

le 06/12/2025 à 10h06

1 min to read

Stojsavljevic Zvonareva

The unexpected return of Vera Zvonareva to the circuit this week is going very well. The Russian, aged 41, was invited by the organizers of the ITF tournament in Dubai. The former world number 2 is making the most of her wild card, and qualified this Saturday for the final.

After her wins against Tara Wuerth (6-3, 6-4), Tereza Martincova (6-1, 6-2) and Sofya Lansere (7-5, 2-6, 6-3), Zvonareva faced the young Mika Stojsvaljevic, a 16-year-old British player and world number 342.

Zvonareva seeking a first title since 2011

In a tight match, the Russian had to fight hard to overcome her opponent, who was very tenacious until the end. Finally, after a match lasting over three hours, the two-time Grand Slam finalist managed to prevail on her third match point (6-3, 6-7, 6-4 in 3h10).

The comeback player will compete in Dubai this Sunday in her first final on the professional circuit since 2017, when she reached that stage of the competition at the WTA 125 in Dalian. To try to win a first title since the WTA 250 in Baku in 2011, the Russian will have to overcome the winner of the other semifinal between Petra Marcinko and Gao Xinyu.