Vera Zvonareva battles past Alexandra Dulgheru

Vera Zvonareva has got her Australian Open off to a winning start with a 7-6 6-7 6-3 victory over Alexandra Dulgheru.

The game began with both playing out an extremely close affair before Zvonareva took the first set 7-6.

The contest continued with both players fighting to gain momentum, however it seemed as though nothing could separate them.

The second set finally went Dulgheru's way, as the 22-year-old levelled up the match with a 6-7 victory.

Zvonareva dominated the third and final set, eventually taking it 6-3 to move into the second round of the tournament.