Samantha Stosur vs. Sara Errani: Semi-final preview – Roland Garros French Open 2012
Out of 128 world-class tennis professionals, it has now come to just four players in the race to glory at the second Grand Slam event of the season, the Roland Garros French Open. World number six, Samantha Stosur of Australia
is all set to take on the surprise contender from Italy, Sara Errani, in the semi-final of the coveted event in Paris, France, on Thursday.
It has been a tournament of upsets so far, with a number of top-class players crashing out cheaply to inferior-ranked opponents in initial rounds. Errani has been among the stunning candidates, outplaying a number of hot favourites
en route to the semis. She first took down the former world number one, Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, in the third round draw and then outmuscled the 2009 French Open champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, in the fourth round.
The most recent victim of the Italian 21st seed was the German number one, Angelique Kerber, who fell against her in straight sets, 3-6, 6-7(2), to let her through to her first ever Grand Slam semi-final. No one expected
Errani to shine this bright among the star-studded filed and reach the final-four of the Major tennis tournament. She is currently rated at number 24 in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings but has posted far better performances than her ratings
suggest.
On the other hand, the winner of last year’s US Open Championships, Stosur, has finally found her winning groove at Roland Garros and has been exhibiting exquisite tennis so far. Albeit the Aussie veteran got a relatively easier
draw throughout the event, her supremacy over the other competitors cannot be denied. Sixth seed Stosur hasn’t dropped a single set en route to the semis and is looking very strong for lifting her second Grand Slam title.
Stosur outplayed the other surprise competitor, Dominika Cibulkova, in the quarter-final round, 6-4, 6-1, to book a date with Errani in the round of four. She has a flawless record against the Italian contender, beating her five
times in a row to lead 5-0 in the all-time head-to-head series. It was at the Rome Masters last month when Stosur last defeated Errani in the second round brawl and certainly desires to replicate the same results in the upcoming crunch match on Thursday.
"I've had success against her in the past, but the semi-final of Roland Garros is a whole new ballgame," Stosur said of the looming duel against Errani. "You can think about the past and the history of the matches, but if something
changes when you're out on the court, you have to be aware of that and adjust, too. So I'm just going to try to play aggressive and play my game. I have to be ready. Sara is having a breakthrough year, making quarterfinals of the Australian Open and now here.
You've got to respect that and be aware of that."
With a five-match winning streak against the Italian and a superior ranking, Stosur is rated as the favourite for winning the semi-final clash but Errani can certainly be not ignored. My pick for the match is Errani and despite
all the immense pressure upon her shoulders, she will hunt down the US Open champion in straight sets to earn a title shot in the final.
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