MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - - Second seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia powered her way to Australia Open’s semi-finals after crushing Czech Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-4 in their quarter-final match Rod Laver Arena Tuesday.

The Agence France Presse said 27 year old Zvonareva beat Kvitova in a 75-minute dogfight, making her way to a battle either with Belgian Kim Clijsters or Polish Agniezka Radwanska.

Meanwhile the Associated Press noted that both Zvonareva and Kvitova was startled by a cannon that went off in a nearby park. A woman needed a medical attention and the Zvonareva asked for a break, only to be dismissed by the chair umpire Mariana Alves.

Zvonareva, who has been playing tennis since six, is a tough ace to beat. She has ten WTA Tour singles to her credit and had reached the finals in three major tournaments in the last three years : the 2008 WTA Tour Championships; 2010 Wimbledon Championships; and 2010 US Open. The Russian ace is also a bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.