Samantha Stosur
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| Country |  Australia |
|---|---|
| Residence | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia |
| Date of birth | 30 March 1984 |
| Place of birth | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 65 kg (140 lb; 10.2 st) |
| Turned pro | 1999 |
| Plays | Right (two-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | $5,756,877 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 299–215 |
| Career titles | 2 WTA, 4 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (5 July 2010) |
| Current ranking | No. 6 (30 August 2010) |
| Grand Slam results | |
| Australian Open | 4R (2006, 2010) |
| French Open | F (2010) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2009) |
| US Open | QF (2010) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 321–143 |
| Career titles | 22 WTA, 11 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (6 February 2006) |
| Current ranking | No. 5 (5 April 2010) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2006) |
| French Open | W (2006) |
| Wimbledon | F (2008, 2009) |
| US Open | W (2005) |
| WTA Championships | W (2005, 2006) |
| Olympic Games | 2R (2008) |
| Mixed Doubles | |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2005) |
| Wimbledon | W (2008) |
| Last updated on: 7 June 2010. | |
Samantha Jane Stosur (English pronunciation: /ˈstoʊzər/, STOE-zər, born 30 March 1984) is a professional tennis player from Australia with Polish heritage[1], competing in both singles and doubles. She is a former world No. 1 on the WTA Tour in doubles with Lisa Raymond from the United States. In singles, Stosur has notable wins against former No. 1s Ana Ivanović, Jelena Janković, Serena Williams, Dinara Safina, Lindsay Davenport, Amélie Mauresmo, and Justine Henin. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 in singles and No. 5 in doubles and was runner up in singles at the 2010 French Open.
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Early life
Stosur was born in Brisbane, Queensland, the daughter of Tony and Diane, and has two brothers, Dominic and Daniel.[2] When she was six the family house and business on the Gold Coast was destroyed by a flood, and the family decided to move to Adelaide.[3] There she started playing tennis, when she was given a racquet for Christmas at the age of eight. While her parents worked long hours at the cafe they had started, Stosur played at local courts with older brother Daniel, who later encouraged their parents to take her to tennis lessons.[4] Stosur attended Helensvale State High School on the Northern Gold Coast.[5] She went away on her first overseas trip at the age of 13, competing in the World Youth Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.[2]
At 14 she joined the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) under Geoff Masters and in 2001, when she was 16, Stosur joined the Australian Institute of Sport tennis program.[2]
Tennis career
Early career
Stosur first played professional tennis in 1999 on the ITF circuit. She debuted on the Women's Tennis Association tour in 2000, losing in the first qualifying round of the Australian Open. In 2001 she won four straight ITF titles. In 2002 she lost in the first round at the Gold Coast event.
In 2003 Stosur won her first WTA singles matches, reaching the third round of the Australian Open. She lost in the third round to No. 7 seed, Daniela Hantuchová. She also qualified for a WTA event in Memphis.
In 2004 Stosur reached the semifinals of the Gold Coast event, before falling to Ai Sugiyama. The next week she reached the second round of the WTA tournament in Hobart, then the second round of the Australian Open. She later qualified for WTA events in Acapulco, Indian Wells, Vienna and Birmingham. Stosur competed at the Athens Olympics, where she lost in the first round. She continued to play WTA qualifying events, qualifying for the Japan Open and Bali in the autumn of 2004. At the end of the 2004 season, Stosur reached the doubles final in Québec City, partnered with Els Callens from Belgium.
2005
2005 Singles Record: 23 wins - 25 losses
2005 Doubles Record: 46 wins - 18 losses
In 2005 Stosur reached her first WTA tour final at her home event in Gold Coast, losing to Patty Schnyder. She was runner-up at the Sydney event, defeating by walkover the world's No 1 ranked player Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinal and Elena Dementieva in the semifinal before losing to fellow Australian Alicia Molik, and won her first doubles title partnering Australian Bryanne Stewart at the same tournament. Stosur lost to World no. 2 Amélie Mauresmo in the first round of the Australian Open, but won the mixed doubles title with Scott Draper over Liezel Huber and Kevin Ullyett.
In July she teamed up with American Lisa Raymond, winning seven WTA doubles titles before the end of the year, including the U.S. Open, the Kremlin Cup and the WTA Tour Championships. Stosur finished the year ranked #46 in singles and #2 in doubles.
2006
2006 Singles Record: 33 wins - 26 losses
2006 Doubles Record: 60 wins - 13 losses
In 2006 Stosur represented Australia alongside Todd Reid at the Hopman Cup, winning all of her singles matches. She then lost in the first round at Sydney to Czech Nicole Vaidišová in three sets.
At the Australian Open, Stosur made it to the fourth round in singles, falling to Martina Hingis. She and Lisa Raymond also made it to the Women's Doubles final, where they were defeated by Chinese duo Yan Zi and Zheng Jie.
In doubles, after losing at the Australian Open, Stosur and Raymond won 18 straight matches, winning titles in Tokyo, Memphis, Indian Wells and Miami. They also won in Charleston, at the French Open and the WTA Tour Championships.
On 28 August, Stosur achieved a career-high ranking of number 30, after reaching the semifinals at New Haven, where she lost to Lindsay Davenport in two tiebreakers. She finished off the year winning the doubles title at the WTA Tour Championships in Madrid, ranked #1 in doubles and a career-high #29 in singles.
2007
2007 Singles Record: 17 wins - 18 losses
2007 Doubles Record: 37 wins - 7 losses
Stosur and Lisa Raymond successfully defended their doubles titles in Tokyo, Indian Wells and Miami. The pair also won the German Open in Berlin. In singles, Stosur reached three quarterfinals, at Gold Coast, Tokyo and Memphis. In Rome, she defeated #1 seed Amélie Mauresmo in the second round, saving 2 match points, before losing to Patty Schnyder in the following round.
After the French Open, Stosur started showing symptoms of what would only after months be diagnosed as Lyme disease, an infection transmitted by the bite of ticks. By then her form had slumped. She lost in the second round at Wimbledon, withdrew from many tournaments on the US hardcourt circuit and lost in the first round of the U.S. Open, where she was seeded 29th, to the then ranked #96 Alizé Cornet of France. Stosur did not play any more tournaments in 2007.
2008
2008 Singles Record: 27 wins - 16 losses
2008 Doubles Record: 23 wins - 12 losses
Stosur returned playing two ITF tournaments before the 2008 Rome Masters, in May, where she was defeated in the second round by Venus Williams. The tournament also saw the return of the doubles team of Stosur and Lisa Raymond with a second round loss. Less than a month later they were defeated in the third round of the 2008 French Open, where Stosur reached the second round of singles losing to Petra Kvitová.
Stosur showed great promise at Wimbledon; while only making the second round in Singles, losing to Nicole Vaidišová, she made the finals of both the Ladies and Mixed Doubles. She and Lisa Raymond lost the final to Venus and Serena Williams. The Williams sisters had just previously played against each other in the final of the Ladies Singles. With mixed doubles partner Bob Bryan, they defeated Mike Bryan and Katarina Srebotnik to win the title.
At the Beijing Olympics, Stosur was defeated in the second round of the singles tournament by no. 4 seed Serena Williams. In the doubles, Stosur (formerly ranked no. 1) partnered Rennae Stubbs, ranked no. 5 in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Doubles Rankings at the time; however, the pair were unseeded as the ITF determined the seedings for the doubles competition based on both singles and doubles rankings standings. The pair lost in the second round to the Spanish team of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual, who were then ranked no. 2 in the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships.
At the US Open, Stosur lost in the first round of singles to seventh seed Venus Williams. She and Mahesh Bhupathi were eliminated in the second round of the mixed doubles competition by Rennae Stubbs and Robert Lindstedt. Raymond and Stosur were runners-up at the women's doubles event, losing to the top ranked team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber.
By the end of the year Stosur was ranked No. 52 on the WTA singles rankings, 110 spots above her ranking in June. In spite of missing the first four and a half months of the tour, Raymond and Stosur finished off the season as the seventh best team at the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships, with Stosur ranked No. 14 in doubles, 156 positions higher than she was when she returned playing on the ITF circuit.
2009
2009 Singles Record: 38 wins - 20 losses
2009 Doubles Record: 26 wins - 16 losses
Having upset 9th seed Ai Sugiyama in her first tournament of the year, Stosur fell to Lucie Šafářová in the second round of the Brisbane International. At the Medibank International, she was defeated by No. 1 seed Serena Williams 6–3, 6–7(4), 7–5 before previously having 3 match points to take the match. Seeded 4th in doubles, the pair of Stosur and Rennae Stubbs lost to Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-wei in the first round of the tournament. Stosur won her opening two singles matches of the Australian Open, but subsequently fell to world No. 4 Elena Dementieva 7–6(6), 6–4. She also won through to the third round in doubles partnering Stubbs, defeating the Radwańska sisters 6–1, 6–4. However, they then lost to eventual champions Venus and Serena Williams, 6–4, 6–2.
In the Fed Cup Asia/Oceanic Zone competition, Stosur won four matches against various opponents from South Korea, Thailand and Chinese Taipei. The Australian team, which also included Casey Dellacqua and Jelena Dokić, advanced to the World Group II play-offs, winning all of its twelve rubbers.
At the Dubai Tennis Championships, Stosur was defeated in the second round by Zheng Jie. Together with Stubbs, she was ousted in the semifinals of the doubles competition by the world No.1 team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6–4, 6–4.
In Indian Wells, Stosur was eliminated in the second round by Agnieszka Radwańska 3–6, 6–3, 7–5. In doubles, Stosur lost to Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka in the second round 6–2, 3–6, 10–7. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Stosur defeated No. 2 seed Dinara Safina in the third round 6–1, 6–4. Safina would have reached the No. 1 ranking had she won the match. She lost to Victoria Azarenka 6–1, 6–0. She reached the same round in doubles, losing to Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Patty Schnyder 6–7(5), 6–2, 10–8. Due to her results, Stosur's singles ranking rose from 43 to 31.
At the MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach Stosur was eliminated in the first round by no.2 seed and eventual champion Caroline Wozniacki (6–3, 6–7(4), 6–1). She then played for the Australian Fed Cup team in Mildura, Australia against Switzerland in their World Group II playoff on 25–26 April. Stosur won the opening rubber of the tie in straight sets then sealed the victory for Australia in the third rubber with a tight 3-set victory, improving her 2009 Fed Cup singles record to 6–0. With this result the Australian team advances to the World Group II in 2010.
On to the clay season, Stosur was eliminated in the first round of the Rome Masters by qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova, and was also defeated on her first match in doubles. She then competed at the Madrid Masters where she upset no.10 seed Agnieszka Radwańska in the first round, but fell to Anna Chakvetadze in the second round (1–6, 6–2, 7–6(4)). Stosur and Stubbs made it to the semifinals but were defeated by world no.1's Cara Black and Liezel Huber (7–5, 7–6(1)).
At the 2009 French Open, Stosur and Stubbs fell in the third round to 16th seeds Yan Zi and Zheng Jie. In singles, Stosur defeated Francesca Schiavone (6–4, 6–2) in the first round and Yanina Wickmayer (6–3, 4–6, 6–4) in the second. She then beat fourth seed Elena Dementieva in the third round (6–3, 4–6, 6–1) and Virginie Razzano of France (6–1, 6–2) for a place in the quarterfinals, where she defeated Sorana Cîrstea (6–1, 6–3) and advanced to her first ever Grand Slam semifinal against no. 7 seed and eventual champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova. After losing the first set 4–6, Stosur fought back a break of serve to win the second set 7–6(5) after trailing 2–5 in the tiebreaker, but lost in the final set 3–6. This made her the lowest seed in the tournament to reach the furthest. With this result Stosur cracked the top 20 on the WTA Rankings for the first time in her career.
Stosur started the grass season playing at the AEGON International. She beat Sabine Lisicki (6–2, 6–1) in the first round, but lost in the second to 6th seed and eventual champion Caroline Wozniacki (1–6, 7–5, 1–6). Having beaten the world no.1 team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the semifinals, she was a runner-up in the doubles tournament, losing the final to Ai Sugiyama and Akgul Amanmuradova.
As the 18th seed at Wimbledon, Stosur beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands (6–4, 6–7(5), 6–2) in the first round. She came back from a set and a break down in the final set to defeat Tatjana Malek (4–6, 7–6(6), 6–4) in the second round, but lost in the third to 13th seed Ana Ivanović (7–5, 6–2). In ladies' doubles, Stosur reached her second consecutive final, this time partnering Rennae Stubbs. The 3rd seeds beat 2nd seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in three sets (6–7, 6–4, 6–2) in the semifinals, but were defeated in the final by 4th seeds Venus Williams and Serena Williams in straight sets (7–6(4), 6–4). Stosur was also defending the mixed doubles title together with Bob Bryan, but the 2nd seeds were defeated in the quarterfinals by 9th seeds and eventual champions Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Mark Knowles .
Stosur started the US Open Series in Stanford, upsetting 6th seed Dominika Cibulková in straight sets (6–4, 6–3) in the first round. She also defeated the 1st seed, world no. 2 Serena Williams (6–2, 3–6, 6–2) to make the semifinals, where she lost to 8th seed Marion Bartoli.
Stosur then competed at the LA Women's Tennis Championships as the no.13 seed. She defeated 6th seed Ana Ivanović in the third round and 14th seed Jie Zheng in the quarterfinals. She beat Sorana Cîrstea in the semifinals to make it to her fifth WTA Tour final, where she lost to no.10 seed Flavia Pennetta. Her next tournament was Toronto, where she defeated no.6 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round (6–4, 6–3) before being eliminated by 4th seed and eventual champion Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals (6–7(3), 6–1, 6–3). At the same tournament Stosur and Stubbs defeated world no.1's Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the semifinals (3–6, 6–3, 10–7) but lost to Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez (2–6, 7–5, 11–9) in the final.
With these results Stosur improved her ranking to a career-high no.15 in singles just in time for the US Open, where she was seeded accordingly. She won a very sloppy first round match, making 58 unforced errors, against veteran Ai Sugiyama (6–4, 4–6, 6–4), but eventually lost to American Vania King in the second round (7–5, 6–4). Stosur entered the doubles event with compatriot Rennae Stubbs. Being the 3rd seeds, they cruised through to the semifinals without dropping a set, where they faced no.1 seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber. They won the first set, but lost the next two after a two-day rain interruption (5–7, 6–3, 6–1). As of the twenty-first of September Stosur had achieved a career high singles ranking of thirteenth
At the 2009 Toray Pan Pacific Open Stosur was crushed by Maria Sharapova in the second round 6–0, 6–1. Seeded 15th at the China Open, Stosur lost a three-setter to Alizé Cornet. Stosur then played in Osaka as the third seed. She did not drop a set en route to the semifinals where she upset top seed Caroline Wozniacki 6–0, 4–6, 6–4. Stosur captured her first ever title on the WTA tour by beating Francesca Schiavone in the finals 7–5, 6–1 in just over an hour. This win secured her a spot at the 2009 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions held in Bali. She also qualified at the 2009 WTA Tour Championships in the doubles event partnering compatriot Rennae Stubbs. They lost a hard fought semifinals match against no.1 seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6–3, 6–7(3) 8–10.
Stosur was one of only two players on tour who played at both year-end championships. The other one was María José Martínez Sánchez who was in Stosur's group at Bali for the round robin stage with Ágnes Szávay. Stosur won her first match against Szávay in three sets, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1 but lost her second to María José Martínez Sánchez 6–7(4), 5–7. This loss cost her the semifinals spot as Martínez Sánchez won both her round robin matches.
2010
2010 Singles Record: 39 wins - 13 losses
2010 Doubles Record: 14 wins - 7 losses
After her success in 2009, Stosur decided to focus on singles and take part in doubles less. Her partnership with Rennae Stubbs ended and she partnered with Nadia Petrova; she will take part in only the major tournaments as a tactic to play in fewer doubles tournaments in hopes to reach the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, a similar strategy taken by Serena and Venus Williams.
Alongside Lleyton Hewitt, Stosur represented Australia at the 2010 Hopman Cup. Australia were the top seeds. Their first tie was against Romania, where Stosur lost unexpectedly to Sorana Cîrstea in a three-setter, and then lost in the mixed doubles 7–5 6–1. The next tie was against the USA, where Stosur beat Melanie Oudin in straight sets, 6–2 6–4. Hewitt also won his singles match against John Isner sealing the tie. In the mixed doubles, Hewitt-Stosur lost 2–6 6–1 10–5. To advance to the final, Australia needed to win their tie against Spain 3–0. This result was, however, reversed, Australia losing to Spain 3–0. Stosur's last preparation tournament prior to the Australian Open was the Medibank International. Stosur lost to Flavia Pennetta 6–3 6–1 in the first round.
Stosur was guaranteed a seeding of 13 for the 2010 Australian Open. She beat Han Xinyun in the first round, 6–1 3–6 6–2, Kristina Barrois in the second, 7–5 6–3 and Alberta Brianti in the third round 6–4 6–1. Stosur was pitted against the World #1 and defending champion Serena Williams where she lost 6–4 6–2. Despite the loss, she moved up to a career-high ranking of #11. She played with big-serving Russian Nadia Petrova at the doubles of Australian Open Doubles Event. They were seeded 5th but lost to another Russia-Australian duo, Vera Dushevina & Anastasia Rodionova in the first round.
She then traveled to Adelaide to represent Australia at the Fed Cup alongside Alicia Molik, Casey Dellacqua and Rennae Stubbs against Spain. Stosur won both of her singles matches by beating María José Martínez Sánchez 2–6 6–4 6–4 and Anabel Medina Garrigues 6–1 6–3. Stosur, partnering Rennae Stubbs, won their doubles match 6–4 6–2 gifting Australia a 3–2 win in the tie.
Her next tournament was the Dubai Tennis Championships where she was seeded 9th. Stosur was stunned in the opening round, 3–6 6–2 7–6, at the hands of veteran Tathiana Garbin. She had better success in the doubles, partnering Nadia Petrova. The pair was seeded 4th and reached the semifinals after receiving a first round bye, then a walkover and a win against 5th seeds Alisa Kleybanova and Francesca Schiavone 6–7 7–5 11–9.
Seeded 8th at the BNP Paribas Open, Stosur received a first round bye. She then defeated Julie Coin 6–1 7–6, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6–3 6–0 and María José Martínez Sánchez 6–3 7–6. In the quarterfinals, she defeated 12th seed and defending champion Vera Zvonareva 6–2 7–6 to move through to her first semifinal at the tournament. She lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Jelena Janković 6–2 6–4 with Stosur making 47 unforced errors in the match. With her success, she reached a career high ranking of no. 10 making her only the third Australian woman to achieve this feat in 10 years after Jelena Dokić reached #4 in 2002 and Alicia Molik reached #8 in 2005. In the doubles, Stosur was 3rd seed with Nadia Petrova. They had a comfortable route to the final, dropping only one set, where they lost 6–4 2–6 10–5 to Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik
Stosur's next tournament was the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami where she was seeded 9th. Due to her seeding, Stosur received a bye in the first round. She battled from a 6–4 5–3 deficit and was one game away from defeat before coming back to record a 4–6 7–5 6–2 victory against Carla Suárez Navarro. Her third round was also tough, winning in a similar scoreline 4–6 7–5 6–1 against Virginie Razzano. In her fourth round match, she faced Jelena Janković in a rematch of their Indian Wells semifinal the previous week. Stosur recorded a comfortable 6–1 7–6 victory. Her run ended in the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion Kim Clijsters 6–3, 7–5. In the doubles draw Stosur and Petrova were seeded 3rd, and reached the final without dropping a set. However, Stosur and Petrova were defeated in the second straight final, losing in a super-tiebreak 6–3 4–6 10–7 to Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta.
Stosur began her clay season at the Family Circle Cup where she was seeded 4th. After receiving a first round bye, Stosur defeated Slovak Magdaléna Rybáriková 6–3 7–5 in the second, and then Vera Dushevina 6–1 3–6 6–1 in the third round. She defeated Shuai Peng of China in the quarterfinals 6–4 6–1 and advanced to her first final of the year with 6–3 7–6(2) win against 8th seed Daniela Hantuchová in the semifinals after trailing 5–2 in the 2nd set. In the final she crushed Vera Zvonareva 6–0 6–3 for her 5th consecutive victory over the Russian. With this victory, she won her second and biggest WTA title, which put her back inside the Top 10 at World No. 10.
Then, Stosur competed in the World Group Play-offs in Ukraine. After the first day, the Aussies had a commanding lead going 2–0 against Ukraine. This was helped by a 6–3 6–0 win from Stosur against Mariya Koryttseva and Anastasia Rodionova's win over Alyona Bondarenko 0–6 6–3 7–5. Stosur then secured victory for Australia with a 7–6(4) 6–3 win over Lyudmyla Kichenok. Because of this, Australia will play in the World Group in 2011. They will be tested as they were drawn against the top seed Italy.
Stosur then competed at the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at Stuttgart. She defeated World No. 13 Marion Bartoli in the first round comfortably 6–2 6–1. She had a slow start in her second round against clay court specialist Alexandra Dulgheru but managed to prevent an upset. After losing the first set, Stosur rallied to defeat Dulgheru, dropping only 2 more games, winning 3–6 6–0 6–2. She then defeated Li Na in the quarterfinals 6–3 6–3 which guaranteed her a career high ranking of World No. 9. In the semifinals, she defeated another clay court specialist Anna Lapushchenkova 7–5, 6–3, after recovering from a 2–5 deficit in the first set and a 1–3 deficit in the second. Her 11 game winning streak was ended in the hands of former WTA World No. 1 Justine Henin in the final, losing 6–4 2–6 6–1. Despite this result, Stosur was awarded a new career high ranking of World No. 8.
Her next scheduled tournament was the Rome Masters however, Stosur had to withdraw due to fatigue. With this, her next scheduled tournament was the Madrid Open as the No. 8 seed. She won her first round match against Gisela Dulko 7–6(3) 7–5 and her second round match against María José Martínez Sánchez 7–6(2) 6–4. She then played last years semi-finalist Patty Schnyder in the third round she won it 7–6(3) 6–2. In the quarterfinals, Stosur was broken multiple times by Venus Williams, losing 6–3, 6–3. She's never beaten Williams before, and to try to change it up, Stosur tried a serve hard, hit hard approach that failed to shake Williams. However, because of her quarterfinal run, she rose to World No. 7. In doubles, Stosur resumed her partnership with Nadia Petrova as third seeds with a first round bye. However, they were knocked out in the second round by Anastasia Rodionova and Patty Schnyder.
Coming in to the French Open Stosur was seeded 7th, and was one of the favourites to win the title due to her semifinal run in 2009 and her tour-best 14–2 record on clay in 2010. She was drawn in the same quarter as Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams which was dubbed the toughest section of the draw. In doubles, Stosur and her partner Nadia Petrova were the fourth seeds. They defeated Irina Pavlovic and Laura Thorpe in the first round 6–4 6–4. Then defeated Vania King and Michaëlla Krajicek in the second round 6–4 6–7(5) 6–4. Their run came to an end by the hands of Ukrainian sisters Alyona Bondarenko and Kateryna Bondarenko, when the 4th seeds retired trailing 6–1,1–0. Stosur opened her French Open singles campaign against qualifier Simona Halep which she won 7–5, 6–1. She then overcame a slow start in her second round match to win 4–6, 6–1, 6–0 against Rossana de los Ríos and win her third round match against another qualifier Anastasia Pivovarova. In the fourth round, she faced four-time French Open champion Justine Henin who had not been beaten at Roland Garros since 2004 and had a 24 match French Open winning streak entering the match. After losing the first set, Stosur rebounded to win 2–6, 6–1, 6–4. In the quarterfinals, she faced world #1 Serena Williams in a rematch of their lopsided Australian Open meeting. Stosur won 6–2, 6–7(2), 8–6 after saving a match point serving at 4–5 in the third set. In the semifinals for the second consecutive year, she defeated world #4 Jelena Janković 6–1, 6–2 to reach her first Grand Slam singles final, becoming the first Australian woman to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Wendy Turnbull at the 1980 Australian Open. In the final, Stosur was defeated by Italian Francesca Schiavone 4–6, 6–7(2); had she won, she would have been the first Australian woman to win a major since Evonne Goolagong won Wimbledon in 1980, and the first Australian woman to win the French Open since Margaret Court in 1973.
Stosur's next scheduled tournament was the AEGON International in Eastbourne, in the week prior to Wimbledon. In the first round, Stosur was pitched against teenager Melanie Oudin. Stosur began the match, leading by a set 6–4. Stosur managed to overcome a 1-4 deficit in the second set to win the match 6-4 6-4. Stosur struggled against but managed to defeat Daniela Hantuchová 6–3 3–6 6–4 in Round 2. She had a slow start against Elena Baltacha in the quarterfinals, but managed to swiftly win the second and third set to take the match 6–7(5) 6–0 6–1. She was defeated by Ekaterina Makarova 7–6(5) 7–5 in a disappointing display leading the first set 3-0 and having a chance to serve for that set in 5-3. With her semifinals appearance in the AEGON International in Eastbourne, she will attain a new career high of World No. 6. Also, with this appearance, she will be ranked No. 1 in the race to the WTA Tour Championships in Doha.
Her next tournament was the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. As the 6th seed, Stosur fell in the first round to Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 4-6 after saving 3 match points. As the 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone also lost in the 1st round, Stosur and Schiavone were the first two women in history in which both women who reached the French Open final failed to win a match at Wimbledon. But despite not winning a match, she received a new career-high ranking of World No. 5 mostly due to Elena Dementieva's withdrawal from the tournament due to injury. Dementieva held the World No. 5 position before the 2010 Wimbledon Championships began and had semi-final points to defend.
Stosur also played in the doubles event, hoping to have similar success as last year with then partner Rennae Stubbs. She played with her 2010 partner Nadia Petrova as the 3rd seeds and they won in the first round over Melanie Oudin and Riza Zalameda, 7-6(5), 6-0. They then faced Svetlana Kuznetsova and Aravane Rezaï in the second round defeating then comfortably 6-4, 6-0. But they lost in the third round to eventual champions Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4, 6-4. She also competed in the mixed doubles event as first seeds with Nenad Zimonjić. They received a bye in the first round and in the second round they defeated Colin Fleming and Sarah Borwell, 6-1, 6-4. They then faced the Belgium duo Xavier Malisse and Kim Clijsters but lost 6-4, 7-6(4).
Stosurs next scheduled tournament was the 2010 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford were she was the first seed and she had a bye into the second round were she defeated qualifier Christina McHale in straight sets 6-1, 7-5. She then defeated Yanina Wickmayer in the quarterfinals in three sets to set up a semifinal match-up with Victoria Azarenka. Stosur had never taken a set off Azarenka in their three previous meetings and this was the case in the semifinals as she lost 2-6, 3-6.
She then participated at the Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego. As the 2nd seed, she received a bye into the second round once again. Stosur defeated American Melanie Oudin 6-4 6-4 and got through to the quarterfinals where she faced Flavia Pennetta. She has never taken a set off Pennetta in their two previous meetings and this trend continued as Stosur lost 4-6, 3-6. Had Stosur won the tournament, she would have had a career-best ranking of No. 4.
Due to a shoulder injury she withdrew from her next two events; Cincinnati Masters and Rogers Cup in Montreal. This meant that Stosur has only taken part in one of the five Premier 5 tournaments of the year. By missing both Premier 5 tournaments, Stosur fell to No. 6 due to Kim Clijsters winning the Cincinnati Masters tournament.
After taking time off to recover from her injury, Stosur took part in the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis tournament at New Haven in hopes to regain some of the lost ranking points and preparation for the US Open. Stosur received a bye in the first round as the second seed. Stosur defeated Sara Errani 6-1 3-6 7-6 after saving 4 match points, She then lost to Nadia Petrova 6-1 6-2 in the Quarterfinals.
At the 2010 US Open Stosur is seeded 5th. In the first round she faced Elena Vesnina and won 3–6, 7–6(2), 6–1. She defeated compatriot Anastasia Rodionova in the second round 6–1 6–4. In the third round, Stosur defeated Sara Errani comfortably 6–2 6–3. In the fourth round, Stosur rallied from 3-0 in the third set to defeat Elena Dementieva in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2) to move through to her first quarterfinal at the US Open. This is, to date, Stosur's best run in singles at the event. Stosur's opponent in the quarterfinals is second seed and reigning champion Kim Clijsters. Should Stosur win the next match, Stosur's ranking can rise to a new career-best ranking of No. 4 (due to Clijsters unable to defend her 2000 ranking points and Jankovic's third round loss). If Stosur wins the US Open, Stosur's will guarantee a career-best ranking of No. 2.
Stosur announced that she won't take part in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Instead, Stosur plans to take part in the final Premier Mandatory, China Open in hopes to improve on her ranking and the HP Open, to defend her title. Should Stosur had participated in the Commonwealth Games, Stosur would be the top seed for the tournament at a cost of Stosur's ranking in jeopardy (missing a Premier Mandatory tournament and not defending her title).
Stosur has also decided not to take part in doubles for the remainder of the year to avoid any further injuries.
Playing style
General
An accomplished doubles player, Stosur in her early years developed a serve-and-volley style of play but as the years progressed, she started to feel more comfortable hitting on the baseline and coming to the net less often. Although she is known for being a doubles specialist and having great volleys and drop-shots while playing doubles, in her singles matches, Stosur has a tendency to miss-hit these shots. Her right-handed forehand groundstrokes, hit with heavy top-spin, are considered her best,as evidenced by her often choosing to hit inside-out forehands. She can hit forehand winners from any side of the court, and her motion when hitting her forehands makes it hard for her opponents to guess where she will hit it to. Because of this, many players attack her backhand side which was considered a weakness of her game, however in 2010, Stosur adopted Pat Rafter's signature backhand slice to add to her game and help her set up points. She has also improved on her two-handed backhand and has even generated winners on occasion. Stosur is also noted for her athleticism and after bouncing back from a career-threatening Lyme's Disease, she has became one of the fittest players on tour.
Serve
Due to its power, kick and variety, Stosur's serve is widely considered as one of the best on the women's tour. Her first serve, however erratic, reaches more than 118 mph (190 km/h) on a regular basis. Her second, a high bouncing kick serve, is highly rated as being the best second serve in the women's game by media and players alike, and was thought to play a key role in her French Open success in 2009 and 2010. Her good serving motion has helped her overhead smashes and she rarely misses those shots.
Surface
Her favourite surface is hard court, although to date, her best Grand Slam singles results have occurred on the clay of the French Open. Stosur has also mentioned her least favourite surface is grass and this is mostly due to the fact that her biggest weapons (top-spin forehand & kick-serve) are not very effective on this surface. Her performances at Wimbledon have reflected this as she has only gone past the second round once on the lone grass-court Grand Slam event.
Weakness
In her earlier years on the WTA tour, Stosur's real weakness was her inability to handle the pressure at major matches, and for not being good at closing out matches. In her first four WTA tour finals, she won the first set only to eventually lose the match. On her off-days, she is susceptible to hitting over 50 unforced errors. But she has shown great improvement in these areas, and these weaknesses are seen less frequently in her matches now - as exemplified in her calm dispatch of former World No. 1 Justine Henin, World No. 1 Serena Williams and former World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic in the 4th round, quarter-final and semi-final at the 2010 French Open.
Equipment, apparel and endorsements
As of 2009, Stosur's clothing sponsor is Lacoste. Her racquet is Babolat's Pure Storm model, and she endorses Oakley eyewear, particularly the Enduring model.
Singles performance timeline
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded.
| Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Career W/L | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 4R | 2R | A | 3R | 4R | 12–8 | ||||
| French Open | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | SF | F | 15–7 | ||||
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 5–7 | ||||
| US Open | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2–6 | |||||
| Grand Slam W/L | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 4–4 | 4–4 | 2–3 | 10–4 | 9–2 | 34–28 | ||||
Career statistics
References
- ↑ Samantha Stosur Interview - French Open, June 4, tennis-x.com, accessed 4 June 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Bio – Sam's story". http://samstosur.com/bio/. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ↑ Halloran, Jessica (2006-01-21). "Play it again, Sam". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/play-it-again-sam/2006/01/20/1137734153106.html. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ↑ Hawkins, Joanne (2007-01-14). "Court of appeal". The Sunday Telegraph. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21043453-5006011,00.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ↑ "Samatha Stosur - Tennis". Athlete Bios. Australian Olympic Committee. http://beijing2008.olympics.com.au/Athletes/TheTeam/tabid/344/Default.aspx?cId=25541&teamId=24. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
External links
- Official website
- Samantha Stosur on the Women's Tennis Association
- Samantha Stosur at the International Tennis Federation
- Samantha Stosur at the International Tennis Federation Junior Profile
- Samantha Stosur at the Fed Cup
- http://tennis-prose.com/articles/biofile-with-samantha-stosur/
- Samantha Stosur at the Internet Movie Database
- Tennis gear and equipment used by Samantha Stosur
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paola Suárez & Virginia Ruano Pascual |
WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Lisa Raymond) 2005, 2006 |
Succeeded by Cara Black & Liezel Huber |
| Preceded by Paola Suárez & Virginia Ruano Pascual |
ITF Doubles Champions (with Lisa Raymond) 2005, 2006 |
Succeeded by Cara Black & Liezel Huber |
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