Zvonareva now building on strong Cup showing

Is the puzzle of Vera Zvonareva solved? It certainly looked that way during the Family Circle Cup as the Russian ran off a string of impressive performances before going up against superwoman Serena Williams in the final.

And Zvonareva did something this past week she hadn't accomplished in a couple of years — she won a tournament.

It was apparent on Zvonareva's first trip to the Family Circle Cup as an 18-year-old in 2003 that she was among the WTA Tour's most talented players. She upended crowd favorite Patty Schnyder in the second round that year and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Zvonareva appears to be as much at home on the clay courts at Family Circle Tennis Center as Schnyder, having appeared in each of the last six tournaments on Daniel Island, while making one final, one semifinal and two quarterfinals.

She has improved her mobility in the last half-decade and put together a game that has some of the tour's best weapons, big groundstrokes and serve. Only a lack of consistency has held her back. Otherwise her top-10 rankings in singles in 2004 and doubles in 2005 would be the norm rather than the exception.

The Family Circle Cup has long been recognized as a tournament that introduces players to the world. The world already is aware of Zvonareva's talent, and she is now a veteran in that she has been a professional for nearly eight years.

But maybe the confidence that she built up during her week-long run on Daniel Island, along with Sunday's championship in Prague, will carry Zvonareva to the next level.

Stan's the man

Stan Smith has been recognized as one of tennis' true gentlemen throughout his career. You've probably never heard anyone mention anything negative about the former Wimbledon champion, except maybe that he's too tall and solid at the net to try to lob or sneak a shot past.

But the line on Smith runs deeper. He's an extraordinary tennis instructor. That should be obvious from his many years of success in running camps at Sea Pines Racquet Club and more recently in operating the Smith-Stearns Tennis Academy on Hilton Head Island.

But Saturday was my first real exposure to Smith's instructional talents. Thanks to College of Charleston men's basketball coach Bobby Cremins, Smith's old friend from his Hilton Head Island days, participants in last weekend's Cremins Tennis Challenge at Family Circle Tennis Center were the lucky beneficiaries of an hour clinic by Smith.

The clinic was first-rate. Stan made me think about parts of the game I normally don't even consider. He put his instructions in layman's terms. Everyone understood exactly what he was talking about. And if you think Smith's game and demeanor on the court was unspectacular, he was armed with a ton of colorful one-liners for this clinic.

Spelman heads for Philly

Elizabeth Spelman, who has played a key role in Wando's four straight Class AAAA girls' state titles, has decided to play college tennis for Villanova.

Although overshadowed by top two stars Jessica Diamond and Brooke Mosteller, Spelman is part of a senior class that Wando coach Becky Williamson will greatly miss. A hard-hitting and talented baseliner who trains at the Players Club, Spelman has played for the Warriors since the eighth grade.

She also visited Colgate and Lafayette.