Conversely, Sam’s strength is her first serve, but she only served 66 percent to Henin’s 71 percent.
In the end, it was the Stosur forehand that did the damage.
She hits this flat down the line with a defining flick of the wrist. She hits it with topspin across the court. And she hits an off-forehand with an open stance into the baseline corner.
Henin had all the crowd support and Stosur had to calm her nerves before closing out the third set with an emphatic smash.
Stosur has the game to beat Serena and the clash on Wednesday will hinge on the first serve. Serena can crank it up to the 205 mark. Stosur can go the high 190s and averages 168 to Serena’s 172.
Sam has the better second serve and this could also prove decisive.
This is the modern women’s game and the battle between Serena and Sam could well be the best match of the tournament.
The winner will have one hand on the trophy.
Monday afternoon in Paris was dull and blustery. Sam took off her sunnies in the second set and she was a different player. She is not a demonstrative player. But she has steel in her eyes and is a fighter.
She is at her best when she is attacking.
Serena acknowledges it will not be a stroll: “Sam is actually a wonderful clay court player. I think she proved that last year, and this year I think she’s only lost twice on the clay. So she’s someone you can’t overlook. She’s fast, strong, and has a great serve.”
This is a remarkable about face from the Serena that called Stosur “a good framer” after losing in Stanford.
Stosur has just defeated a four time French Open champion on her favourite surface. Serena has won the French once, in 2002. and has not been past the quarters since 2004.
This is Stosur’s time.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Brett,this Sam is a fighter. And she only had the coach and trainer in her corner. Not the cast of thousands in the Williams circus. In one way it was also a case of Serena not showing enough respect. Even post match she whinged about how many errors she made and that she was not at her best. I choose to think Sam imposed her game on Serena and Serena was out of her comfort zone. Sam did tighten serving for the match at 5-3 but it was not a Proteas choke. She was down a match point in the third but gutsed it out. In the end the champ got dusted by a better player on the day.
Brett McKay
Guest
Vinay, you're a genius, great win from Stosur!! And you're sure she's not playing Israel Folau in the Semi??
Whiteline
Guest
I certainly hope you are right!
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Whiteline, I have just finished watching Sam Stosur win it 8-6 in the final set. She had the match on her raquet at 6-2 and serving at 5-3. She then tightened and served her one and only double fault for the match and Serena lifted and romped through the tie break. Serena had the momentum in the third and her serve was on song. The first time Sam got a look in was the thirteenth game and drilled two second serve returns past Williams. And she closed it out in style. In the end Wiulliams was lucky to stay in the second set and it was only her serving that kept her in the game. This is Stosur's time,as I said in the piece. It is her tournament to win and if she keeps the focus we could have our first Women's grand slam champion since 1980.
Whiteline
Guest
Vinay, as you said, fitness is a key component. As I said in an earllier post, Sam is probably the only Aussie women's tennis player in recent memory who has taken the fitness side of the game seriously. She has obviously done the hard yards - gets my vote.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
sheek, I hear what you are saying but Sam has shown a lot of courage in coming back after an eighteen month illness layoff. She is actually believing she belongs in this top sphere. You are right,Sam will have to be at her best. Her serving is the key.Serena is going to be tough but I have a feeling Sam is ready. I did expect her to beat Henin as Henin is also coming off a long break. Winning is a habit and Henin is finding that against the best she has to convert the opportunities. I am looking forward to these two slugging it out. Sam needs to come to the net behind her serve or atleast one or two points into the rally. Serena is a back-court hugger and needs a GPS to come to the net.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Brett, There is going to be a bit of "niggle" in this and to carry on your Healy analogy maybe Sam should have a 'Ranatunga" dig at Serena. Australia has such a proud tradition in Tennis that it saddens me to see how it has come to this pass. Clay courts should have been a priority in the nineties. What clay does is to teach you to refine the ground strokes. The game has changed whereby you need to have an all court game. The reason Laver and Court won all four was their allround game. I suppose much like Twenty20 does not a great player make.
sheek
Guest
Guys, The thing that sometimes separates the best from the rest, apart from determination & grit, is not necessarily talent but consistency. The best always play near their peak most of the time (think Federer for example). The great champions are better able to continually climb the mountain, time & time again. My point being, can Sam Stosur be a giant-killer in successive games? My heart cries 'yes', but my head says 'no'. Serena Williams is arguably the greatest ever female tennis player (well, along with Graf & Navratilova). And she has been alerted to the danger presented by Stosur.....
Brett McKay
Guest
Vinay, the way sports news is being dominated at the moment, I fully expected you to reveal that Sam Stosur, should she beat Serena Williams in the QF, will be playing Israel Folau in the semi.... Happily, not the case!! Stosur has done unbelievebly well in Paris, in what has been a cracking week for women's sport in Australia, with the Matilda's Asian Cup win too. I agree with you, she has the game to beat Williams, but the question may well be a matter of patience. Ian Healy's motto in life was/is "to lose patience is to lose the battle." Let's hope Sam can win both...
Plasmodium
Guest
VINAY - Jana may have been the Countess of Chokes but Gaby was the Queen. When Jana did her famous fall apart she was up 4-1, 40-15 against Steffi, but Gaby blew five, count 'em, five match points against Mary Jo. Gaby gets the royal purple. Re their respective records, Gaby won only one GS singles - the US Open - and one GS doubles - Wimbledon. Jana won only one GS title, too - Wimbledon - but has 12 GS doubles titles. KERSI - MDS is correct: Evonne won the Big W in '71 and again in '80, the last Aussie woman to do so. Pam Shriver said that she was "A mother and sometime tennis player." Martina has the best record at Wimbedon - she was a finalist a remarkable 12 times in 16 years winning the title nine times.
mds1970
Roar Guru
I think the last was Evonne Goolagong winning Wimbledon in 1980. It's been a long time between drinks. Come on Sam!
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
Or any other Major title for Aussie women since 1970s, Vinay?
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Plasmodium,I was replying to Kersi as you were posting your comment so did not see it. You make a relevant point about the second serve kicker and I concur that she needs to run the Rubenesque Serena to distraction. Choking also occurs with fine fish and chicken bones! Women suffering more than men ? I am not convinced. Maybe they show it more but in the end it is because athletes focus on the outcome instead of the process. Jana Novotna was the Countess of Chokes but she got redemption at Wimbledon. LP.as Paes is known,needs to be digitally mastered and preserved for posterity as the next Indian champion is a long way away.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Kersi,the short answer is No! Margaret Court was the last winner in 1973 beating Missy Chrissie in 3. Sam needs to run Serena around a bit and can only do this if her first serve works. This enables her to dictate the point.Stosur's superior fitness may just give her the edge.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
Vinay, Has any Australian won Ladies Singles in French Open since Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong in 1970s? All the best, Sam!
Plasmodium
Guest
VINAY - I rather think that Sam's second serve is her best weapon as she gets a tremendous kick on it on clay - far less so on grass. A tactic against an obese Serena might be to run her from side to side, give her a lot of drop shots, and count on her running out of puff in the third (as long as Sam wins a set beforehand, of course). Sam showed against Justine that she's not immune to the threat of choking - what the French call avoir les petit bras. It's something the sports psychologists can't explain, the fact that women suffer from nerves on court more than do their male counterparts. Alain de Flassieux, who covered women's tennis for years for l'Equipe, says "It's the one who's least afraid who wins." One of my favourite players, and I believe she's one of yours, too, Gaby Sabatini, was up 6-1, 5-1 and had match point against Mary Joe Fernandez in the '93 French. What kind of odds on Mary Joe could you have got from an India bookie at that stage? Incidentally, a good quarter-final win today by Dlouhy and Paes. I think Leander is around 37 or so but still so good on a doubles court.