Hoping a third time will be luckier, Vera Zvonareva began her bid to reach a third consecutive Grand Slam final with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 win over Sybille Bammer in her opening match of the Australian Open on Tuesday on Rod Laver Arena. Zvonareva, who lost to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final and to Kim Clijsters in the U.S. Open final last year, dominated the first set against the 30-year-old Bammer and tightened her grip on the match in the second. She conceded only four points in the first four games of the second set and didn't allow the Austrian to hold until the sixth game. "It's tough to play your best tennis in the first match. The most important thing is I've done what I needed to do and moved through to the next one," Zvonareva said. U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters did nothing to dent her growing status as a favorite by routing fellow former No. 1 Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-0. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/aus11/news/story?id=6031980
