After soaring to victory over Elena Dementieva 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, Samantha Stosur has reached a higher position than most would have slated. On the eve of her quarterfinals match against no. 2 seed Kim Clijsters, there is no better time to look back on Stosurs past achievements and see how she’s made it as far as she has.
Born and raised in Australian, Stosur began her tennis career at the age of eight. Her abilities were quickly realized by her family and she began coaching soon after taking up the sport. Receiving her first “big break” at the 2006 Australian open where she reached the fourth round and took her up in the rankings to No.27 in the year 2007.
Last year is the true pin point as to when Stosur hit her stride with her game, starting the 2009 season off with a third-round appearance at the Australian Open and an appearance at the semifinals of the French Open. Due to her powerful serve, that previous competitors have had a rough time returning, causing analyst to view her as a serious competitor for Clijsters. However, the inconsistency with her ability to move well around the court could be a large detriment to her game.
Stosur and Clijsters have had a match up before in Miami where she was defeated in straight sets by Clijsters. Ready this time, Stosur feels confident that she can capitalize on Clijsters own weaknesses. Stosur saved four match points against Dementieva in a fourth-round win hailed as the best of her career, mentally she is prepared for what lay before her but only time will tell.