By James Waterson Photo Credit: Emmanual Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
(September 11,2011) In a stunning display of controlled aggression, ninth-seeded Samantha Stosur won her first Grand Slam title after she defeated Serena Williams 6-2, 6-3 at the US Open Sunday.
Williams was heavily favored going into the match, despite not playing many tournaments this year because of injury and illness.
She blitzed her way through the draw, beating former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in straight sets, as well as Victoria Azarenka and top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals, while Stosur had to battle through several long matches to reach the final.
Serena also has more experience on this stage, as she’s won 13 Grand Slam titles while Stosur, 27, has been in only one final.
Yet it was Stosur who looked like the more composed player right from the beginning of the match.
She has a great forehand and a great serve, and she used both to full effect. She went after Serena’s second serves and put a lot of pressure on her from the baseline, which is part of the reason why Serena hit 25 unforced errors, compared to Stosur’s 12.
The Australian also hit 20 winners to Serena’s 19, and she broke the American five times, while she dropped serve once. She added it was one of the finest performance of her career.
"I've played matches where I feel like I played lights out, can't miss a ball, and, you know, it's fantastic, but to do it under these circumstances in this kind of final against a player like Serena, for sure I'm gonna think it's one of the best days of my career, of my life of playing," Stosur said.
Williams said she was waiting for Stosur's level of play to fall during the match, but it never did.
"When you're playing like that, you know, she played really, really well. I mean, I don't think she's ever played that well. Maybe she has. I haven't seen her play that well," she said.
"But that's what you have to do. When you're in the final of a Grand Slam you have to do that. I thought, ok, at some point you could level out, because I know sometimes it happens."
Serena held convincingly to start the match, and Stosur responded with a quick hold of her own. At 2-2, Stosur earned her first break of the match, and she kept up her aggressive play to wrap up the set in 31 minutes.
Serving in the first game of the second set, Serena hit a forehand on break point that was well struck, but still within the court.
Before Stosur hit the ball, Serena shouted “come on!” Although Stosur got a racket on it but didn’t return it, the chair umpire rewarded the point to Stosur because of hindrance.
Serena immediately broke back, and up 2-1 at the change of ends, she berated the umpire and accused her of being a hater.
There was a very similar incident in 2005 with James Blake. On break point at 3-2 in the second set against Michael Llodra in New Haven, Blake hit a forehand and shouted “come on!” before Llodra hit the ball. The chair umpire gave the point to Llodra, which baffled Blake.
Nevertheless, the New York crowd was firmly on Serena’s side during this time. It could have been a turning point in the match, as Serena had two break points at 2-1, but Stosur fought back and held and she closed out the match after breaking serve two more times.
With the win, Stosur became the first Australian woman to win the US Open since Margaret Court did in 1973.
"I'm still kind of speechless," Stosur said. "I can't actually believe I won this tournament. I guess to go out there and play the way I did is obviously just an unbelievable feeling, and you always, you know, hope and you want to be able to do that, but to actually do it, is unbelievable."