TENNIS in DEPTH.

Victoria Azarenka progressed to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career after Vera Zvonareva suffered meltdown in their last-16 clash.

Well known on the WTA Tour for her mental frailty, Zvonareva had looked set to claim a place in the last eight when she led by a set and 4-2 but from that position she lost 10 straight games to slip to a 4-6 6-4 6-0 defeat.

Initially it seemed as if Azarenka was the one not fully focused.

A rowdy crowd on the Rod Laver Arena had to be regularly asked to calm down during the opening set, one which went with serve until the 10th game when Azarenka double-faulted when set point down.

Zvonareva twice led by a break of serve in the second set – at 3-1 and 4-2 – but appeared to get jittery as victory approached.

She was unable to convert either break with a hold of her own and Azarenka made her pay in spectacular fasion.

The Belarusian reeled off four games in a row to square the match – it was the first set she had won against Zvonareva in what was their fifth meeting.

The final set was a one-sided affair, Zvonareva unable to cut out the errors which had entered her game after an impressive first set and a half.

The ninth seed manged to save one match point courtesy of a Hawk-eye challenge, but the replayed point was lost and with it went Zvonareva’s title hopes for 2010.

Azarenka progresses to a meeting with top seed Serena Williams.

The pair met in the last 16 here last season when Azarenka was forced to quit due to heat exhaustion when a set to the good.

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