Samantha Stosur defeats Justine Henin can Samantha win the French Open
The Australian challenger was aiming for an upset win, or was it? She is seeded No. 7 and her Belgian opponent at No. 22 and all expectations of winning point to the Aussie battling a four-time French Open champion.
Indeed Samantha Stosur would be glad enough to be regarded as the underdog and possibly a queen-slayer and going into the last set of her match with former world No. 1 Justine Henin, and that reality suddenly played out before her very eyes.
The two players have just pocketed one set apiece to stretch their game into the final set, then Stosur found herself serving out the match, ending once and for all the Belgian’s quest to capture a fifth ring in Roland Garros and on the side, further extending a 24-game winning streak in Paris that started way back in 2004.
Stosur hit her serve, seemingly wavered and she hit again to stare at a double-fault. Another try and the confidence just breathe out from her chest as she slammed her way to victory, in fact her biggest so far.
The Australian finally ended the Henin fairy tale, 2-6 6-1 6-4, and earned the right to face Serena Williams in the quarterfinals.
Stosur admitted that winning over a multi-titled player like Henin is a confidence booster but she knew that it’s still halfway the battle. She is quite happy to have reached this far and ponders the reality that the current best player in the world would stand with her in the quarters.
For her part, Henin simply wished that her fabled comeback could have been extended a little bit. It was her first defeat in Paris following a 20-month hiatus from competitive tennis and for a while there, she was on the road for another ring.
She even took the lead at 4-3 in the final set but her elegance could not hide the fact that her nerves were not at all a hundred percent. That lead proved to be the last time she would win a game as Stosur evened the set and then Henin would succumb to a double-fault and an eventual breakpoint.
Henin admitted that her nerves felt weak during the match after playing for five days straight, thanks to the intermittent and sometimes crazy rains. She said that she was nervous and upset at the same time, which is not her usual self.
The Belgian conceded that it may have been nervous fatigue which prevented her from looking at the match in a much serene manner, as she was left to contend that Stosur scored 20 winners in the final two sets as against her measly eight.
Also, Stosur converted four breakpoints from the five chances handed to her by Henin, stressing that she just knew what must be done during the match. Within the match, she simply put aside any mistakes, believed in herself and moved forward for the win.
The Australian simply shrugged off the near-disaster effect of the last game double-fault, stating that she just laughed inside, brushed aside some worry thoughts and then gunned for the next winner.
The 26 year old quarterfinalist has already chalked up 18 wins on clay court this year, which is the best so far on WTA tour. She was able to reach the semis last year and there are indications that she could replicate that feat again, or more, once she gets past the tough Williams come their match day.
Stosur was aware that in order for her to win her first career title she needs to beat the world’s no.1. She did eaxctly that and put Serena Williams out of the French open also; can she be stopped, don't bet on it.
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