Sam Stosur’s horror run at home has continued, with the US Open champion today knocked out in the first round of the Australian Open.
Stosur was defeated in staight sets by Sorana Cirstea 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 in an error-filled match. The Queenslander never looked confident during the match, and made 33 unforced errors to Cirstea’s 26.
Despite strong crowd support, as you would expect from the local favourite, Stosur couldn’t beat the Romanian who is ranked 59th in the world, more than 50 places below her. This is terrible news for Australian tennis, especially with fellow female Aussie players Dokic, Dellacqua and Rogowska moving into the second round.
Stosur’s early exits from the Brisbane and Sydney International heading into the Australian Open raised doubts about her ability to handle the extra pressure and expectations, following her breakout past 18 months, and these doubts will only intensify.
Her loss is a blow not only to the game here, but to the tournament organisers and broadcast partner Channel Seven, with their hopes now on Bernard Tomic to lead the Aussie charge.
For Stosur, it seems time to stop and rebuild, take stock of her achievements and put these past failures behind her. Get her mind off tennis for a while.
Stosur will need to realise that her standing has changed – she is no longer someone who can fly under the radar, especially at home.
As a US Open champion, and a finallist of the French Open, Stosur will seen as a contender at every tournament she plays in. A threat, a prized scalp on the circuit.
Stosur is known for her toughness, her willingness to fight and as a strong competitior. But it seems her mental will is what deserts her at the moment.
If she is to move to the next step, from being a one-Grand Slam winner to someone who has claimed several – which is no small leap – she will need to become much stronger mentally. She needs to be winning the battle within herself before taking the court and facing other players.
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