Stosur can win French Open Title, says Court
The Number 1 seeded player Serena Williams after losing the match to Samantha Stosur 6-2 6-7 (7-2) 8-6, last night in the French Open Tournament said that the 26-year-old Stosur is capable of finishing off the Tournament with a title to her name. With Stosur’s win in the finals of the French Open, an Australian woman's name will be put back on a major Grand Slam trophy.
However, the tragedy of last night’s match was that the Tennis star with most Grand Slam singles wins in either women’s or men’s tennis is out of the French Open Tournament.
The last Australian French Open winner, who collected 24 Slam singles in her career by beating Chris Evert in 1973, is Court. While talking in an interview, Court shared her interest and likeness in the playing style of 26-year-old Stosur. According to her, Stosur has been improving with every single match that she has played so far. Court keenly observes her progress by watching her in all her matches through the Roland Garros draw.
The way Stosur tackled the Number 1 seeded Serena Williams in the last night match was extremely delightful to watch. Her win over Justin Henin already showed the quality of a real clay-court specialist in her. She defeated the four time champion Justin Henin in the fourth round of the French Open match 2010. Moving on the same lines, Stosur yesterday did it again this time with far more aggression by beating the top seed Serena Williams in a three-set quarter-final match and made her way to the semi final match of the Tournament.
Now, the challenger will face Serbia’s former World Number 1 Jelena Jankovic in tonight’s semi-finals match of the French Open 2010.
According to Court, Stosur is completely fit and playing at her best. She has not played with this aggression and power ever before. And now that the favourite player to win the title has been knocked out by her, the Australian Tennis star has a good chance of taking the trophy back home along with the rest of the semi finalists.
In the first semi-final, Italy’s Francesca Schiavone will face Elena Dementieva of Russia followed by Jankovic- Stosur match tonight.
The Gold Coast resident has also set another record of being the second one to defeat Justin Henin and Serena Williams in a single Grand Slam Tournament. Lindsay Davenport who eventually lost the final to Venus Williams in 2000 US Open Tournament did it for the first time.
Stosur being the former World Number 1 doubles player has won four Grand slam doubles titles so far. However, about 12 months ago, her breakthrough in singles came in Paris where she made it to the Semi Finals of the French but was eventually knocked out by the champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Moving on the same lines, Stosur‘s ranking in the world kept on rising up. Finally in October, the 26 years old Australian won her first WTA title in Osaka. She had been fighting hard for it since her last five attempts. Stosur then claimed her second prestigious Family Circle Cup title at Charleston, South Carolina this year in April.
Stosur also holds the best 2010 record on clay this season of any woman Tennis player on the WTA tour. The Number 7 seeded player has won 19 matches so far in this season with just two losses. The first one came with a match against Henin in Stuttgart, and later on to Venus Williams in Madrid.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley was the last female who defeated Evert in 1980 at Wimbledon where as Court is the last French Open Champion of Australia. On the other hand, Lleyton Hewitt was the man who lastly won for Australia in 2002 at Wimbledon.
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