Former champion Vera Zvonareva takes on Thai qualifier Varatchaya Wongteanchai in the opening round of WTA Pattaya City.
Zvonareva has a fine record in Pattaya City, winning the title in 2009 and 2010 but she was unable to complete the hat-trick last year, losing 7-6, 6-4 to eventual champion Daniela Hantuchova in the semi-finals.
It hasn't been a particularly happy start to 2012 for the Russian who has slipped down the rankings to eight in the world. She was annihilated in the opening round of WTA Sydney by Svetlana Kuznetsova before suffering a surprise third round defeat in the Australian Open.
22 year old Wongteanchai is ranked 217 in the world and she came through a very weak qualifying draw at the weekend. The Thai player came close to crashing out in the opening round, suffering a first set bagel before winning in three sets. This is her opening match of 2012 after she opted to end 2011 playing challenger tournaments right into late December.
Prediction: Should be a comfortable straight sets victory for Zvonareva.
