Zvonareva earns semifinal win over No. 1 Wozniacki

Vera Zvonareva's 2009 U.S. Open ended in complete turmoil, the very definition of a meltdown. After failing to capitalize on six match points in the second set against Flavia Pennetta, Zvonareva got hammered 6-0 in the third set and was beaten in the fourth round. She cried, she tore at the bandages wrapping her knees, she screamed at the chair umpire for not giving her a timeout to fix the bandages. On the final changeover, she sat in her chair with a towel over her head.

No crying, no screaming, no towel over the head this year. Only joy, though quite professionally restrained.

Zvonareva will play for the U.S. Open title Saturday against Kim Clijsters after beating top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4, 6-3, in a semifinal Friday.

If Zvonareva's Wimbledon final appearance in July seemed flukish, there wasn't anything fishy about her victory Friday, nor her march through this tournament. She controlled the match from the outset, always the aggressor with the more effective forehand and serve. And a really solid mental approach.

"Last year, it happens to everybody. I'm sure there are a lot of players that had a lot of match points and that lost that match and broke a lot of rackets and were disappointed a lot," Zvonareva said of last year's breakdown. "It's just an experience and I'm just looking forward and trying to, you know, manage it better the next time."

Clearly she did Friday, and clearly the shellacking she took in two sets from Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final had no carry-over to the Open. Zvonareva lost to Wozniacki in the Montreal final in August when the Dane was the hottest player of the summer. Now Zvonareva has stolen her heat.

"Just made a few mistakes and she took advantage of it," said Wozniacki, who made 21 errors on her usually dependable forehand. "She played a really great match. She was playing really well. She deserves to be in the final."

In the seventh game of the second set, Zvonareva broke a string, the fifth broken string of the afternoon. She had five rackets in her bag, and had to get one from her friends box to continue play.

There was no unrestrained reveling in the victory. There is one more match to go, Zvonareva's second appearance in a major singles final.

"Tennis is an emotional game,'' Zvonareva said. "As long as you know yourself and you know which emotions are good for you, which are bad, you can use it to your advantage."