TENNIS FRENCH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS:SAM STOSUR not only shook up Roland Garros by becoming only the second player to beat Justine Henin here since 2002 but she ensured a fascinating quarter-final against top seed Serena Williams, whose regard for the Australian has wavered between contemptuous and adulatory.
Serena’s warm words yesterday – “She has a good chance to go all the way” – jarred with her sentiments after Stosur beat her in California last August: “She had a lot of lucky shots. She’s a good framer.”
Stosur was a little more than a “good framer”, someone who hits a lot of balls off the frame of the racket, as she out-served and out-hustled Henin to win 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 on a packed Court Philippe Chatrier which, if not exactly hostile towards her, was clearly behind the darling from across the border.
Stosur won the crowd round, though, with her controlled aggression and willingness to come to the net, winning points there 15 times in 19 visits.
Playing with the freedom of reduced expectations, perhaps, Stosur did not fear Henin, whereas the little dynamo, five months into her comeback, exuded anxiety in losing the second set so spectacularly. Her reassembled serve clearly was malfunctioning and her feared backhand utterly collapsed in the final game as she netted four times in a row.
At times Henin must have thought she was watching herself across the net, so cool and muscular were some of Stosur’s groundstrokes, so assured her court presence, all sustained by an uncannily accurate reading of the game.
At 26, Stosur has reached maturity that makes her consistently dangerous, a player growing in confidence.
Henin was rattled on court but composed off it. “She has a lot of qualities,” Henin said. “She really starts to be very consistent, especially on the clay. It’s probably her best surface. She has improved a lot in the last few months.”
Williams, who rediscovered her zest to blow away Israel’s Shahar Peer 6-2, 6-2 in a little over an hour, apparently has reassessed Stosur.
“You can never underestimate anyone,” she said, “and Sam is actually a wonderful clay-court player. She proved that last year [when she reached the semi-finals], and this year she’s only lost twice on the clay. So she’s someone you can’t overlook.”
Much has happened in Stosur’s life, on and off the court. Less than three years ago, just after this tournament, she was struck down by Lyme Disease, a form of viral meningitis, which sidelined her for nearly a year as her career was on the rise. She has done well not only to recover from that but to put her game back together.
On the men’s side the third seed, Novak Djokovic, was largely untroubled beating the last American man standing, Robby Ginepri, in four sets; and Rafael Nadal had a slightly easier time getting past Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci – the Spaniard has still not dropped a set.
Nadal dismissed his 200th victory on clay as a meaningless statistic after burying the ghosts of his only French Open defeat, by Robin Serling in round four last year, by reaching this year’s quarter-finals.
Although he created a similar number of break points as his illustrious opponent, 24th seed Bellucci was ultimately beaten in straight sets, 6-2 7-5 6-4, as Nadal set up a quarter-final clash with his fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro.
Nineteenth seed Almagro set up a repeat of his 2008 quarter-final against Nadal by beating Fernando Verdasco 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-4 on Suzanne Lenglen Court.
Almagro (24) was thrashed 6-1 6-1 6-1 by Nadal two years ago but has taken a set off the world number two in each of their last two meetings, including at this month’s Madrid Masters.
Despite Nadal having won all 19 of his matches on clay this year, Almagro said: “If I thought he was unbeatable, I’d pack up and go home.
“I know how to attack him. I did so in Madrid, and at many times of the match. So I’ll continue on the same track.”
Djokovic’s next opponent, 22nd seed Jurgen Melzer, ended Russian qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili’s remarkable run with a 7-6 (8/6) 4-6 6-1 6-4 victory on Suzanne Lenglen.
World number 114 Gabashvili had not dropped a set en route to the last 16 and completed an embarrassingly one-sided third-round win over Andy Roddick on Saturday.
But despite producing another flurry of winners, he made almost as many unforced errors as the experienced Melzer held sway to reach his first grand slam quarter-final at the age of 29.
Roland Garros Results
MEN – SINGLES – Fourth round: (3) Novak Djokovic (Ser) bt Robby Ginepri (USA) 6-4 2-6 6-1 6-2, (22) Jurgen Melzer (Aut) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (Rus) 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-1 6-4, (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt (24) Thomaz Bellucci (Bra) 6-2 7-5 6-4, (19) Nicolas Almagro (Spa) bt (7) Fernando Verdasco (Spa) 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-4
WOMEN – SINGLES – Fourth round: (1) Serena Williams (USA) bt (18) Shahar Peer (Isr) 6-2 6-2, (7) Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt (22) Justine Henin (Bel) 2-6 6-1 6-4, (4) Jelena Jankovic (Ser) bt (23) Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) 6-4 6-2, Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) bt Jarmila Groth (Svk) 6-4 6-3.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES – Quarter-finals: (3) Liezel Huber (USA) and Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spa) bt (5) Gisela Dulko (Arg) and Flavia Pennetta (Ita) 1-6 6-0 7-6 (7-4), (1) Serena Williams (USA) and Venus Williams (USA) bt (11) Maria Kirilenko (Rus) and A Radwanska (Pol) 6-2 6-3.
