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Stosur edges Dementieva in a thriller

6 Sep 2010

Samantha Stosur has advanced to the US Open quarterfinals with a tense, courageous and historic three-set victory over Elena Dementieva in the Grand Slam that never sleeps. Stosur survived four match points and some controversial scheduling to eclipse the Russian 12th seed 6-3 2-6 7-6(2) and set up a last-eight showdown on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) with defending champion Kim Clijsters. Stosur and Dementieva only started the gripping fourth-round encounter at 10:57 pm local time and finished at 1:37 am after Open organisers thrust women into the second feature night match at the Open two evenings running for the first time. It was the latest finishing women's singles match in US Open history. The New York major is notorious for rowdy crowds and late-night finishes, but tennis legend Martina Navratilova said it was unfair that Stosur and Dementieva should have to follow a men's best-of-five-set clash onto Arthur Ashe Stadium. Making matters worse was the preceding match involved marathon man John Isner, who featured against Nicolas Mahut in the record-setting 11-hour, five-minute saga at Wimbledon in June. Fortunately, Russian Mikhail Youzhny required "only" three-and-a-quarter hours to put Isner to bed. Still, Navratilova questioned the scheduling. "Nobody trains to go to play at midnight. No player can be ready for that," Navratilova said on American TV. "How do you stay awake? Drink some coffee. I never played a singles match this late." Stosur, though, had far greater concerns after staring down the barrel deep in the deciding set. Dementieva struck a forehand wide on her first match point trying to serve it out at 5-3. The French Open runner-up then bravely staved off another three match points in the next game to level at 5-5. Several opportunities lost, Dementieva crumbled to drop serve again the following game to hand Stosur the chance to finish the job. This time Stosur missed her chance, Dementieva forcing the Queenslander into a backhand error on her first match point, before breaking to force the tiebreaker. Finally, though, it was Stosur - who also saved a match point against world No.1 Serena Williams in this year's French Open quarterfinals - who prevailed when Dementieva fired a forehand long after two hours and 38 minutes. "I feel unbelievable right now," an ecstatic Stosur said. "I think we both played a great match. We went for it and just gave it our best, so to have a match like that here's just fantastic." After snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, Stosur had no complaints about the lateness of the match in the so-called city that never sleeps. "It's good to make history, I guess," she said. "It's a great atmosphere out here. "It was always going to be tough following the guys but whenever everybody stays around and cheers and supports us like that, it couldn't be any better." Some of Stosur's power hitting amazed Navratilova and fellow former world No.1 Tracy Austin. "Wow, that's just when you say 'that's too good'," Navratilova marvelled at one of Stosur's sizzling half-volley forehand drives. Austin was equally enthralled sitting courtside. "This is phenomenal tennis," she said. "I don't get the opportunity to watch from down here very often and I tell you they're smacking the ball. "I think they're hitting harder than the the guys in the first match."

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