Russia's Zvonareva beats Venus Williams in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AFP) - World number two Vera Zvonareva crushed five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in Hong Kong Thursday as some of the world's top women prepared for the year's first Grand Slam.

Zvonareva's 6-4, 6-2 victory—and wins by her teammates Maria Kirilenko and Yevgeny Kafelnikov—helped Russia into an unassailable 3-0 lead over the Americas with only the mixed doubles to play at the World Team Challenge season-opening exhibition tournament.

"It's an exciting moment for me. It's the first match of the year and I'm really happy the way I started," said the 26-year-old, who was in scintillating form ahead of the Australian Open starting on January 17.

"Venus is a great champion and it's always a pleasure to play against her."

Zvonareva, who has 10 WTA career singles wins, was vastly more consistent than the American in the semi-final clash.

Williams, 30, struggled in the chilly 3,600-seater Victoria Park stadium, getting off to a shaky start in both sets when she dropped her first service game.

The world number five is recovering from a series of knee injuries and never looked at ease, making 16 unforced errors and managing just five winners against Zvonareva's 10.

Zvonareva, a canny baseliner who is at home on all surfaces, showed more guile than her opponent, out-serving Williams by aiming the ball close to the six foot one inch (1.85 metre) American's body and crowding her out of the match.

Earlier Zvonareva's teammate Maria Kirilenko, 23, gave US teenager Melanie Oudin a lesson in tenacity and concentration, fighting her way from a set down to sneak a second set tie-breaker before taking the decider 6-0.

"In the third set I think she was just a little bit disappointed because she was up 5-3 in the second set," Kirilenko said of 19-year-old Oudin after the two-and-a-half hour match.

"She is still young—she is 19 years old so she's just starting to play on tour and she's playing not really bad, she's playing good."

In the legends match, Kafelnikov beat John McEnroe 6-4, 7-5, giving Russia a 3-0 lead with only the mixed doubles to go.

Zvonareva, Kirilenko and Williams are in Hong Kong as part of their preparations for the Australian Open, which starts on January 17.

The four-day Hong Kong curtain-raiser features four teams with three players each—representing Russia, Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific—in singles and mixed doubles play.

Top seeds Europe—led by world number one Caroline Wozniacki—advanced on Wednesday to the gold group final while Asia Pacific will play in the silver group final.