Vera Zvonareva vs. Daniela Hantuchova in WTA Cincinnati Open

Vera Zvonareva and Daniela Hantuchova will meet on Friday for an eagerly awaited quarter-final showdown at the Western and Southern Open.

Vera Zvonareva was in top form on Thursday, and earned a berth in the quarter-finals of the Western and Southern Open by beating Petra Martic in straight sets (6-2, 6-2). As the top seed left in the competition, Zvonareva will be aiming to build upon this and clinch her third WTA title of the season. The Russian will now face Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia for a place in the final four. Hantuchova upset the odds in round three by getting past eighth seed Marion Bartoli in three sets (6-3, 5-7, 6-3). She’s been in good form recently, and there’s a chance that she’ll be making a return to the top twenty in the near future.

Zvonareva currently holds a 5-2 head to head lead against Hantuchova, though the pairing are 1-1 for 2011. This could turn out to be a very close contest, but Zvonareva seems likely to have the edge.