Sam Stosur vs Sorana Cirstea: Australian Open live scores, blog

 
Alan Nicolea Roar Guru

By , 17 Jan 2012 Alan Nicolea is a Roar Guru

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Reigning US Open champion Samantha Stosur faces a tough battle on Rod Laver Arena as she tackles Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the first round of the Australian Open. Join us for all the action this afternoon.

On the back of below par performances at the Brisbane and APIA International, Stosur once again appears to be struggling with expectation in the lead-up to her first round match with Cirstea.

In her only tournaments this year, Stosur lost in the second round in Brisbane and was bundled out in the first round in Sydney, albeit against 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone.

Against Cirstea, Stosur will need to put her previous disappointing performances behind her if she is to oust the Romanian.

Cirstea is a deceptively good mover around the court, and will aim to pressure Stosur into unforced errors by returning well.

The Australian does possess a tendency to lose her rhythm fairly quickly, so expect Cirstea to really try and produce long rallies whenever possible.

For all of Stosur’s present negativity however, she remains the world no. 5 for a reason.

At her best, Stosur possesses more weapons than any other player on the WTA tour. Her serve is generally regarded as the best in the women’s game, particularly the second serve, where she is renowned for her ability to generate good bounce.

Stosur’s forehand is also a joy to watch when on song, and it was the shot largely responsible for destroying Serena Williams in last year’s US Open final.

Prediction

Overall, this match still appears to be firmly on Stosur’s racquet. If she begins the match erratically, Cirstea is just the sort of opponent that could really frustrate the Australian into producing many unforced errors.

If Stosur finds her range early in the first set however, than the US Open champion should simply overpower Cirstea with her forehand and serve.

Stosur in straight sets.

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