Sam falls in a thriller

Sam falls in a thriller

6 Feb 2011
Darren Saligari

Francesca Schiavone has given defending champions Italy a commanding 2-1 lead after delivering the knockout blow to Sam Stosur 7-6(1) 3-6 7-5 in a two hour, 44 minute struggle.

Errors from both players punctuated the first set as the Italian and Australian shook off some early nerves. Stosur fought off two break-point opportunities in her first service game of the match – not the start the Queenslander was hoping for.

Schiavone seemed intent on coming to the net in the opening set, but had mixed results. It was a tactic she used successfully in her Roland Garros final victory over Stosur last year, so her line of thinking was sound.

Locked at 4-4 and some hard work from Stosur paid off with two break points on Schiavone’s serve. Despite the Italian’s excellent retrieving, Stosur’s powerful forehand was the difference. A Schiavone lob saved the first then a strong backhand volley took care of the second. A Schiavone backhand into the net gave Stosur her third opportunity, which Schiavone saved with a perfectly executed clutch ace down the T as the world No.4 went on to hold and take a 5-4 lead into the break.

Two unforced errors from Stosur handed Schiavone two set points in the next game – but she saved both, the second showing off her soft hands as she delicately dropped a forehand volley over the net and well out of the Italian’s reach. A backhand winner and good first serve later and the match was once again deadlocked at 5-5.

Fittingly, the first set ended in a tiebreaker. Schiavone raced to a 4-0 lead off the back of some Stosur unforced errors before the Queenslander got a point on the board. Schiavone served out the breaker as Stosur netted a forehand to surrender it 7-1.

A break point for Stosur slipped away as a timid prod down the line was retrieved and volleyed back by Schiavone in the second game of the second set. Two more break point chances presented themselves in the fourth game and Sam snaffled the second with a crosscourt forehand to take a 3-1 lead.

Gusting winds in the second set ripped through the Domain Tennis Centre sending a chill through the more than 2000 spectators and made conditions tough for both players.

With Stosur serving for the second set at 5-3, a brief shower forced the players off court, but not for long. The Australian put aside the memory of the two sets she failed to serve out on day one of the tie in her match with Flavia Pennetta and held to take the set 6-3 and send the rubber to a deciding third set.

Some basic errors from Schiavone gifted Stosur five break points in the third game of the final set but between Schiavone’s retrieval skills and Stosur’s errors, the Italian held what would prove to be a pivotal game.

Games stayed on serve from then on as neither player could crack the code to their opponent’s serve. Schiavone, however, came just centimetres from claiming the win in the 10th game. The Italian had three match points on the Stosur serve, but the world No.5 saved each one and held serve as the see-sawing affair continued.

Schiavone held to take a 6-5 lead before breaking Stosur in the next game to claim the third set 7-5 and give Italy the lead.

“It’s obviously very disappointing to come here and lose two matches, especially when they’re so tight like that. It’s just frustrating not being able to get over the line,” said Stosur after the match.

“You feel like you’re letting your team down if you can’t win a singles match over the weekend.”

“Sometimes you go through patches like this and, as long as you keep focusing on your game and working hard and trying to get through it, it’s going to turn around and I’ve got full belief that it can.”

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  • Anonymous

    Hi Sammy , don’t blame yourself , you’ve tried your best though , it’s just the way it goes , a little bit unfortunately it happened on Aussie team this time , but I think it wasn’t a bad content overall , I saw some delicate volleys which you made , I was totally delighted by that part , no other players can do that in solid and graceful way just like you did , can’t wait to see you play in next tournament , take care !! : )

  • Chinchilla93

    Hi my Samantha
    Can’t wait to see you next month in charleston !!
    Go get the trophy for me!!
    I wished that you were still in the Aussie open . When I came in
    Jillie

  • Chinchilla93

    Hi my Samantha
    Can’t wait to see you next month in charleston !!
    Go get the trophy for me!!
    I wished that you were still in the Aussie open . When I came in
    Jillie

  • Chinchilla93

    Hi my Samantha
    Can’t wait to see you next month in charleston !!
    Go get the trophy for me!!
    I wished that you were still in the Aussie open . When I came in
    Jillie

  • Sarah

    “it’s going to turn around” .I agree! You played very well and I like that you came to the net more often. Keep working and “it´s going to turn around” :))

  • Carl

    Hi Sam, Don’t get too down on yourself. Your fans know that you will come storming back in the weeks ahead. I think it is really wise to play some doubles with Lisa in Dubai. And it will probably be loads of fun for you (and definitely for your fans!).

  • Jane

    SAMMIx. You did well. Don’t overdo yourself. Practice harder and try to find new techniques. I’m sure to see good matchs in DUBAI nextweek. FIGHTING. And hope you get ready for your favourite CLAY TOURNAMENTS. We be supporting you all the way! ^^

  • Jane

    SAMMIx. You did well. Don’t overdo yourself. Practice harder and try to find new techniques. I’m sure to see good matchs in DUBAI nextweek. FIGHTING. And hope you get ready for your favourite CLAY TOURNAMENTS. We be supporting you all the way! ^^

  • Rena_Egypt

    It’s ok Sam. Unfortunately I couldn’t watch the match, actually I couldn’t follow any events of last two weeks, because of what’s going on here (Egypt).But things are getting better now so I get to watch matches. I absolutely know you tried your best, you never let your team down,and you always do your best. So cheer up and get ready for next tournament. Good luck

  • Marjan van Vuuren

    Hey Sam, not to worry! Italy are defending Fed Cup champions for a reason. And obviously, they had a lot to lose. It’s a pity, but no more than that. Next time you run into them, you’ll probably beat both Pennetta and Schiavone. The French Open maybe? ;-)

  • Laura

    you didn’t lose two matches, sam. you lost two amazing struggles! so don’t be too disappointed. i’m sure australia is still so proud of you ;)

  • Laura

    you didn’t lose two matches, sam. you lost two amazing struggles! so don’t be too disappointed. i’m sure australia is still so proud of you ;)

  • LankyDes

    Hope things are ok for you Rena and those dear to you. Congratulations to your people. There are many things more important than tennis as I know Sammy would acknowledge

    Warm Regards
    Des, Liverpool, England

  • Jim

    Hey Sam, time to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again. Actually you already did by winning your first doubles match with Lisa (great work!) The Aussie summer was disappointing for sure, but nonetheless your game is as good as it’s ever been, so I think you can turn this around quickly if you stay positive. Of course your opponents are getting better as well, and a lot of them have developed a game plan specifically for playing you (you can take that as a compliment!), but even in your lost matches you have been in with a shot and most could have as easily been wins. The Dubai draw looks good for you I think, some potentially tough match-ups for sure, but nothing you can’t handle if you are aggressive and seize the initiative. If I were to criticize one aspect of your performance so far this year, I would say you have allowed your opponents to dictate terms a little too often. So don’t be afraid of a few errors, go for your shots and put your opponents on the defensive and you will be very, very hard to beat.

  • Jim

    Hey Sam, what a fantastic match against Errani! If it needed proving, this proves that your game is in great shape, and that your (on paper) disappointing run in Australia was mainly a case of a lot of matches against quality opponents that could have gone either way but that just happened to go against you. Today you double up, but you hardly raised a sweat yesterday so that shouldn’t be a problem. If you go into today’s maches with the same aggressive approach you should be back in the locker room in no time with two wins under your belt. Schnyder is potentially a tougher opponent than Errani, a lefty with heaps of experience, but if you seize the initiative again she’s got nothing she can really hurt you with. Just go for it Sam!

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