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After nine years on the WTA Tour, Samantha Stosur hardly qualifies as an overnight sensation. But Stosur and her big tennis game have been the talk of Roland Garros as she cut a swathe through the French Open draw in the past fortnight.
Her powerful kick serve and forehand have taken the breath away from opponents and spectators.
So why has it it finally coming together for Stosur in such impressive fashion.
While the 25-year-old Queenslander has tennis weapons, strength and fitness worthy of a place among the world’s elite players, she has appeared to lack the crucial ingredient of confidence in big matches at times in the past.
On the clay courts of Paris, Stosur has gone a long way to changing that.
Armed with a new coach and a commitment to step up from her extremely successful doubles niche to focus on singles, she kept her cool under the hot Parisian sun to play some of the biggest matches of her life.
Coach Rene Moller says it’s all been about keeping things simple.
“Simple doesn’t break down under pressure like complicated does,” says Moller, a US-based Kiwi who joined Stosur in February.
“She’s stayed in the process, she hasn’t gone ahead of herself.
“She’s constantly demanding more out of herself. When she is getting up and getting leads she’s not relaxing, not taking her foot off the pedal.
“We saw glimpses of it earlier, but it’s a question of doing it for six, seven matches in a row.
“She could do it for two or three and then she’d maybe have a let down.
“It’s not easy. But just having that consistency to do it day in and day out is what we’re starting to see and the results are proof of it.”
Although admitting to nerves, Stosur has looked impressively relaxed and comfortable, even on Roland Garros’ court Philippe Chartrier, one of the sport’s grandest stages.
After her win over world No.4 Elena Dementieva, Stosur indicated her dream run in Paris was down to a newfound belief.
“I just felt good and never kind of doubted or anything. I just kept going and playing the way I knew I could,” she said.
“Each day is different but I think if I can keep playing the way I have been, anything is possible.”
Stosur has shown glimpses of what’s she capable of throughout her career and has been a four-times singles runner up in the past four years – at Seoul, Prague, Gold Coast and Sydney – but never clinched the title.
Her doubles record is a different story – 22 WTA tour titles, including two grand slams, and a world No.1 ranking earlier this year.
A few months ago Stosur decided that if she was going to achieve her dream of winning at least one singles title she had better change things.
“The last few years I’ve had a lot of doubles success, which is great,” she said. “But this year I definitely made a conscious effort that singles was a priority.
“It always was, but I needed to change a few things to really, I guess, make that happen.
“Maybe due partly to that I’m starting to see good rewards for those decisions.
“I’m pleased it’s all paying off.”
Stosur’s new found confidence certainly has opponents worried.
Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano was left dumbfounded after her straight sets loss to the Australian in the fourth-round.
“I didn’t enjoy it,” Razzano said. “I didn’t know how to play tennis.
“She didn’t doubt her game and she had confidence.”
One person not surprised at Stosur’s form is her former coach David Taylor.
Taylor spent about 18 months working with Stosur before Moller, helping her climb back up the rankings when she returned from a debilitating bout of Lyme’s disease and a bout of viral meningitis which kept her out for about seven months after the 2007 US Open.
Taylor said Stosur had learned to maintain composure under pressure.
“Everyone said Sam has one of the biggest serves, biggest forehands and probably the best second serve in women’s tennis,” he said.
“I think her game was ahead of her mentality.
“As she has gotten older, she’s got more composure under pressure.
“She makes better choices in critical moments and now the mentality is catching up with the game and I think when both come together she’s a real prospect for the top 10.”
Stosur has claimed some other big-name scalps this year.
In Miami in March, she crushed now world No.1 Dinara Safina and followed that up by defeating French ace Amelie Mauresmo.
However in the quarter-final against world No.10 Victoria Azarenka, Stosur won just one game.
Earlier in the year she also stumbled when facing world No.2 Serena Williams despite holding four match points in Sydney, and against fellow top tenners Dementieva and Agnieszka Radwanska.
It was around that time Stosur sought out advice from seven-time world surfing champion Beachley.
“She knew her game was very, very good and she was often very devastated that she couldn’t have composure under pressure and she’d make wrong choices,” Taylor said.
“Through having enough bad times she sort of wanted to seek someone who was totally dominant in her sport.
“I’m sure things like that can really help. At the end of the day, Sam’s the one who has to apply that, but it’s great she sought that help out.”
Moller agrees, saying Stosur’s turning point came in Miami with the wins over Safina and Mauresmo.
“She really started believing she could put herself in that situation and still win the matches,” he said.
“She had put herself in situations before, but she couldn’t quite get over the hump.
“It’s still work, she’s still got to keep plugging away and working at it. By no means are we there yet.
“It’s tennis. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions out here, week in week out.
“So that’s why you have to try and stay on an even keel as you can from the start of the year to the end of the year because there’s a lot of ups and downs out there.
“You can’t emotionally go on that rollercoaster. You’re going to win some matches, you’re going to lose some matches. That’s the reality of it.”
For the moment, Stosur’s reality is very much a winning one.
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