Tennis: Zvonareva is a dark horse with chances

Two surprise grand slam final appearances have given Vera Zvonareva the world No2 ranking and the confidence to go one better at the Australian Open, but remarkably, the Russian remains saddled with the "dark horse" tag.

World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki and third seed Kim Clijsters have generated all the buzz in the lead-up to Melbourne Park, but the Russian remains conspicuously absent from talk of contenders. The chatter, however, might grow a little louder after Zvonareva opened her Australian Open campaign with a 6-2, 6-1 trouncing of Austria's Sybille Bammer to canter into the second round.

The US Open and Wimbledon finalist exited both grand slams weeping, but left with a resolve she said had convinced her she could beat any player on her day. "It (was) a very good experience. That's something that made me a stronger, better player, more mature. Even if I'm not playing my perfect tennis, I can still beat anyone on the other side of the net.

"That's the most important thing. That's what you try to do in a grand slam."

Zvonareva has struggled to shake off a perception that she is mentally fragile and tends to wear her heart on her sleeve on the court. Off the court, the international economic relations student appears a model of tranquillity, however, and does not worry about critics.

"I'm always confident in myself. I always believed in myself. There are a lot of people that didn't, but never bothered me," she said. "It was just a matter of bringing the best tennis out of myself at those moments when I need it."