SAM STOSUR does not go to bed each night hoping she will be the next Australian grand slam tennis champion, but she is giving everyone else reason to dream.
It was a fairly clinical execution of the tall Russian Vera Dushevina 6-3 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena last night. Even the modest Stosur could hardly contain her enthusiasm for the state of her game right now.
"Everything seemed to be coming out of the centre and I felt like I moved well, made good decisions," the 26-year-old fifth seed said.
"I don't think Vera played too bad. I was just really on it tonight.
"It was really pleasing to go through a match like that and feel like I pretty much did everything fairly well."
Considering she won the point on her first serve 70 per cent of the time despite only hitting four aces, and on her second 65 per cent of the time, it's not hard to see how dominant the Queenslander was last night.
As she keeps moving through the field, the screws turn even tighter on whether she can became the first Australian woman to win a grand slam event since Evonne Goolagong Cawley beat Chris Evert at Wimbledon in 1980.
"I know it has been a long time. I'd love to be that person to break that drought," Stosur said.
"At the end of the day, I've got to play good matches, and I've got to do seven of them to win the tournament.
"You know, it's one of those things. Yes, I'd love to do it, but it's not something I can go to bed thinking about each night."
The time line stretches back just a little farther for the last Australian woman to win the Daphne Akhurst trophy in Melbourne - Chris O'Neil in 1978.
Wendy Turnbull made the final in December 1980 but lost to Czech Hana Mandlikova, who went on to become an Australian citizen in 1986 and retired from tennis in 1990.
But history was the last thing on Stosur's mind last night, or will be when she wakes up today to prepare for her third-round match against rising star Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic.
Kvitova, 20, won the Brisbane International and was an unseeded semi-finalist at Wimbledon last year, having never previously won a match on grass.
And although Stosur cracked the top 10 and top five in the world last season, Kvitova, ranked 25, is not intimidated.
"I know I have to have a big serve and to be aggressive. I might surprise her. You never know," Kvitova said.
She said a chanting, green and gold-clad crowd would not unnerve her.
"It will be tough but I like the big courts so we'll see," Kvitova said.
The pair have met only once, at the 2008 French Open in the second round when Kvitova won.
"She got me there," Stosur said. "I know her a little bit better now."
The world No 6 seems comfortable in her new position on the WTA tour.
She reached the quarter-final, or better, in 12 of her 19 tournaments last season - a statistic bettered only by world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
She has not made the final eight in Melbourne yet. The last Australian woman to do so was Alicia Molik in 2005. Two fourth-round finishes in 2006 and 2010 are Stosur's best. But she knows more is expected of her now.
She is entering the world of Tim Henman or Andy Murray at Wimbledon; Andy Roddick at the US Open or even Amelie Mauresmo at the French Open. The crowds so badly want their local heroes to win.
Stosur has not felt the need yet to call on them. Mauresmo is in Melbourne commentating for French television. "If ever the situation, I guess presented itself, there's only good things that could come out of a conversation like that," Stosur said.
"So far, I haven't really spoken to any current players or past players about that kind of thing.
"But definitely I've had many conversations with my coach (Dave Taylor) and other people around me who try to help me with those kinds of things.
"So far I haven't. But maybe, yeah, in the future that's something I can look at doing."
Read More
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/sam-stosur-gets-job-done-as-fans-dare-to-dream/story-fn79h9tu-1225992003874
It was a fairly clinical execution of the tall Russian Vera Dushevina 6-3 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena last night. Even the modest Stosur could hardly contain her enthusiasm for the state of her game right now.
"Everything seemed to be coming out of the centre and I felt like I moved well, made good decisions," the 26-year-old fifth seed said.
"I don't think Vera played too bad. I was just really on it tonight.
"It was really pleasing to go through a match like that and feel like I pretty much did everything fairly well."
Considering she won the point on her first serve 70 per cent of the time despite only hitting four aces, and on her second 65 per cent of the time, it's not hard to see how dominant the Queenslander was last night.
As she keeps moving through the field, the screws turn even tighter on whether she can became the first Australian woman to win a grand slam event since Evonne Goolagong Cawley beat Chris Evert at Wimbledon in 1980.
"I know it has been a long time. I'd love to be that person to break that drought," Stosur said.
"At the end of the day, I've got to play good matches, and I've got to do seven of them to win the tournament.
"You know, it's one of those things. Yes, I'd love to do it, but it's not something I can go to bed thinking about each night."
The time line stretches back just a little farther for the last Australian woman to win the Daphne Akhurst trophy in Melbourne - Chris O'Neil in 1978.
Wendy Turnbull made the final in December 1980 but lost to Czech Hana Mandlikova, who went on to become an Australian citizen in 1986 and retired from tennis in 1990.
But history was the last thing on Stosur's mind last night, or will be when she wakes up today to prepare for her third-round match against rising star Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic.
Kvitova, 20, won the Brisbane International and was an unseeded semi-finalist at Wimbledon last year, having never previously won a match on grass.
And although Stosur cracked the top 10 and top five in the world last season, Kvitova, ranked 25, is not intimidated.
"I know I have to have a big serve and to be aggressive. I might surprise her. You never know," Kvitova said.
She said a chanting, green and gold-clad crowd would not unnerve her.
"It will be tough but I like the big courts so we'll see," Kvitova said.
The pair have met only once, at the 2008 French Open in the second round when Kvitova won.
"She got me there," Stosur said. "I know her a little bit better now."
The world No 6 seems comfortable in her new position on the WTA tour.
She reached the quarter-final, or better, in 12 of her 19 tournaments last season - a statistic bettered only by world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
She has not made the final eight in Melbourne yet. The last Australian woman to do so was Alicia Molik in 2005. Two fourth-round finishes in 2006 and 2010 are Stosur's best. But she knows more is expected of her now.
She is entering the world of Tim Henman or Andy Murray at Wimbledon; Andy Roddick at the US Open or even Amelie Mauresmo at the French Open. The crowds so badly want their local heroes to win.
Stosur has not felt the need yet to call on them. Mauresmo is in Melbourne commentating for French television. "If ever the situation, I guess presented itself, there's only good things that could come out of a conversation like that," Stosur said.
"So far, I haven't really spoken to any current players or past players about that kind of thing.
"But definitely I've had many conversations with my coach (Dave Taylor) and other people around me who try to help me with those kinds of things.
"So far I haven't. But maybe, yeah, in the future that's something I can look at doing."
Read More
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/sam-stosur-gets-job-done-as-fans-dare-to-dream/story-fn79h9tu-1225992003874
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