Pavlyuchenkova started the 2010 season by reaching the last eight at the Brisbane International where she was defeated by Ivanovic. At Melbourne, she lost in the second round of the Australian Open to fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. She then reached her first Premier-5-level quarterfinal, at the Dubai Championships by defeating Katarina Srebotnik, Tathiana Garbin and Daniela Hantuchová. There, she fell short to defending champion Venus Williams in straight sets. She then made the third round in Indian Wells and the round of 16 in Miami, losing to Samantha Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki, respectively.
