It’s been a long time between drinks and the Australian tennis public is more dehydrated than the Snoopy-spotting Frank Dancevic.
But we’ve been here before haven’t we, Sam Stosur?
To be fair, it hasn’t always been your fault. Australia has been desperate for a native to win our home slam since the 70s.
So desperate in fact, we’ve tried to claim others as our own – ‘Aussie Kim’ and ‘Aussie Ana’ spring to mind.
What makes matters worse is we’ve barely had a contender in the past few decades.
Some have come close on occasions. Pat Cash made the final in 87 and 88, while Lleyton Hewitt fell at the final hurdle to Marat Safin in 2005.
Others have had moments of fleeting glory. In 1996, Mark Philippoussis took down then-world number one Pete Sampras in the third round, only to follow that up with a straight sets loss to Mark Woodforde, who on this occasion was playing by himself for some reason.
Clichéd as it may be, Stosur’s career has been one of ups and downs.
A smattering of thumping wins meshed with inexplicable losses; of unplayable winners and comically shanked forehands into row five.
A US Open win back in 2011 was the obvious high point. In fact, there have been quite a few high points.
Stosur is probably a better player than she is given credit for, particularly on the European clay and US hard court swings of the tour. It’s just we have come to expect a lot when we know she is capable of downing one of the game’s greats on the biggest stage in world tennis.
Sadly, Stosur has failed to replicate those heights on home soil.
Dealing with an expectant crowd and the increased media spotlight have clearly been behind this lack of success. A fourth round appearance at Melbourne Park in 2010 was her best effort to date.
Now though, we sense the tide may have turned. Under the (almost literal) blowtorch of Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night, Stosur was clinical in dispatching the in-form Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3 6-0 to advance to the third round.
Next, she’ll face the aforementioned ‘Aussie Ana’, with whom she has a favourable 4-3 career record.
If she can get through this match, Serena Williams will most likely await. Daunting but winnable, and from there, the draw opens up.
We’re now firmly aboard the Sam Stosur roller-coaster, but at the same time all too aware it can derail at any moment.
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