Stosur suffers upset loss in Brisbane

Updated January 01, 2013 07:45:49

Former US Open champion Samantha Stosur's miserable Australian form continued on New Year's Eve when she was knocked out of the first round of the Brisbane International by Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson.

Arvidsson took full advantage of 48 unforced errors from the Australian number one to win 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 on Pat Rafter Arena.

Stosur, who grew up on the nearby Gold Coast, has struggled to live up to expectations when playing in her home tournament and has not made it past the second round in four attempts.

She has also failed to make an impression at the Australian Open, last year losing in the first round to Romania's Sorana Cirstea as sixth seed.

Stosur began confidently against Arvidsson but fell away dramatically as her error rate climbed and despite fighting hard to stay in the match, she never seriously threatened the Swede.

"Part of it can be put down to being a bit rusty and it's the first match of the year," Stosur said.

Meanwhile in the men's draw, Australia's top-ranked Marinko Matosevic lost out to Japan's fifth seed Kei Nishikori 7-5, 6-2.

Elsewhere in the men's draw, sixth seed Florian Mayer beat Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 6-4, 6-4 and Finland's Jarkko Nieminen outlasted Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.

Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis defeated Australian wildcard Ben Mitchell 6-4, 6-4 in the final match of the night.

Earlier, former world number one Caroline Wozniacki lost valuable Australian Open match practice when she lost to Kazakhstan qualifier Ksenia Pervak.

In a titanic battle lasting two hours and 48 minutes, left-handed Pervak eased past Wozniacki 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) in the first shock of the season-opening WTA tournament.

Eighth-seeded Wozniacki had looked in control as she reeled off the first set in just 29 minutes.

But the Russian-born Pervak found her range in the second set and had the Dane constantly under pressure with her swinging left-handed groundstrokes.

She won the set to level the match then stunned Wozniacki in the deciding set with an all-out attack.

"I had a really tough match yesterday, we played for three hours and I was tired in the beginning," Pervak said.

"But then I got into the game (and) it was easy. I won a few games and I felt that I can do it and I started to fight more."

Pervak said she knew she could not give the more experienced Wozniacki any cheap points in the tie-break.

"I just told myself that I needed to be focused on every point and just play my game as aggressively as I could," she said.

Wozniacki will play in Sydney next week in a last-ditch bid to find some form ahead of the January 14-27 Australian Open in Melbourne.

"Obviously you're a competitor so you want to win and you're not happy about it when you lose, no matter who you lose to or how you lose," she said.

"I fought until the end today. Maybe I didn't play my best tennis today, but it's tough to expect that from yourself in your first match back.

"Hopefully I can now play some practice matches with some of the other girls here and then go to Sydney and hopefully get a couple more there."

It was 21-year-old Pervak's first win over a top 10 player and the first time she has been past the first round in Brisbane in four attempts.

Fourth seed Angelique Kerber survived a tough three-setter against Georgia's Anna Tatishvili, winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, while German compatriot Sabine Lisicki had a more straightforward 6-2, 6-4 win over Czech Lucie Safarova.

French Open runner-up and fifth seed Sara Errani thumped Russia's Olga Puchkova 6-1, 6-3.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, brisbane-4000

First posted December 31, 2012 22:10:12

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Serena looms for Stosur in Brisbane

Updated December 29, 2012 12:41:04

If Samantha Stosur can get past the second round of the Brisbane International for the first time, she is positioned to meet superstar Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of her home event.

The Australian seventh seed will face Swede Sofia Arvidsson in the first round and, if things go to plan, she will likely face Williams in the final eight of a strong tournament which features eight of the top 10 women's players.

Williams faces fellow American Varvara Lepchenko in the opening round.

Stosur and Williams are on the same side of a tough draw that includes number one seed Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki.

The top two seeds, Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, have first round byes.

Stosur will be looking to improve on a poor record in Brisbane.

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted December 29, 2012 12:41:04

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No time for moping, says Stosur

Updated January 02, 2013 10:15:35

Samantha Stosur is refusing to blame untimely foot surgery or home-town pressures as she races the clock to be ready for the Australian Open.

Stosur's mistake-riddled first-round exit from the Brisbane International has left the fallen grand slam champion with just one tournament and 13 days to rediscover her A game for the Melbourne Park major.

But the world number nine defiantly maintains a fortnight is ample time to save her summer.

"I'm going to think positive and think that it is," Stosur said before heading south for the Sydney International starting on Sunday.

"I know that panicking doesn't help anyone get a good result or feel better.

"All that I've got to do - it sounds really easy - is go out there and practise really hard and do the right things like I always try and do and really believe that's what's going to make a difference.

"There is no magic dust that's going to make anything go away or fix it overnight or anything."

Stosur flayed 48 unforced errors - effectively two a game - in her 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 loss to the 41st-ranked Sofia Arvidsson under the bright lights of Pat Rafter Arena on Monday night.

The 2011 US Open champion preferred not to dwell, though, or offer meaningless excuses.

"Actually, I think part of it you could put down to being a bit rusty and it's the first match the year," she said.

Stosur readily admits suffocating public expectations cruelled her last summer campaign - when she crashed out in the first round in Melbourne - but says high hopes come with the territory.

"I'm not the first player to have their home grand slam and not perform," she said.

"There have been a few Australians and French players, you name it. It's a tough thing. But it is one of those things.

"Would I rather have a grand slam in my country than not? I would."

Stosur also denied deliberately delaying surgery to have a bone spur removed until after the WTA Championships in November, an operation which prevented the Queenslander from full-scale running until only a fortnight ago.

"There just wasn't an opportunity. I hadn't seen a surgeon or spoken to anyone," she said.

"It was one of those things where I couldn't do anything about it.

"I didn't even totally know what was going on at that point in time until I came home and saw the correct people.

"Then once I had seen the surgeon and done that, I made my decision in about five hours and I was in the next day. I didn't let things linger once I knew."

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted January 01, 2013 13:22:28

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I can win the Australian Open: Stosur

Updated December 21, 2012 13:55:27

A year on from her summer from hell, Samantha Stosur says there is no reason why she cannot bounce back and win the Australian Open.

Despite candidly confessing to stage fright after first-round losses in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne last January, Stosur is brimming with belief entering 2013.

"I've got as good a chance as any of the girls up there," Stosur said.

"I won the US Open last year, so why not?

"I know that I can compete and beat the best girls in the world, so I'd like to think it's possible."

Far from shying away, Australia's world number nine is vowing to stare down her mental demons and says reliving the pain of last summer is pivotal to hurdling the psychological barriers next month.

"I think you've got to realise what happened and why and what you did wrong and what you can improve on to not make the same mistakes again this coming year," she said.

"Last summer I just froze and played really tight tennis and wasn't free. I was too passive and didn't do what I needed to do.

"That has happened a few times and it's a matter of realising that in the moment and just taking that chance to do more rather than letting your opponent continue to dictate."

After urgings from coach David Taylor and ongoing sessions with her long-time sports psychologist, Ruth Anderson, Stosur has resolved to be more aggressive in the pressure points that will ultimately define her summer campaign.

"I don't play my best tennis when I'm letting my opponent dictate," she said.

"A lot of the top girls don't, so you've got to realise that in the moment rather than when you're off the court and thinking 'I should have done this and I should have done that'.

"If I had a second chance, that's the one thing I probably want to try and improve this year."

Stosur insists "there's no secret formula" to coping with the hype and expectations that inevitably accompany Australia's big home hope at Melbourne Park.

"There's no point in trying something completely new," the Queenslander said.

"The key is you can't go into one of the most important times of the year that you want to do well in and expect that doing something completely different is going to work.

"Obviously you tweak things here and there, but I'm not going to all of a sudden change my whole routine between points or anything like that.

"I don't think that's going to be beneficial."

Stosur will open her summer at the Brisbane International on December 30 before contesting the Sydney International the following week.
Both events have red-hot fields.

"You can't really get two tougher tournaments before a grand slam let alone the first one of the year," Stosur said.

"It's going to be really tough, a really good way to see the benchmark and what you've got to do to improve before Melbourne.

"But everything's going well and I feel like I'm in a good spot at the moment with another week and a bit to go before Brisbane.

"I'm sure by the time I play my first match, I'll be as ready as I'll ever be."

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted December 21, 2012 13:51:23

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Stosur tells Tomic to knuckle down

Updated December 06, 2012 13:43:47

Australia's grand slam-winner Sam Stosur says Bernard Tomic must "knuckle down" if he is going to have any chance of fulfilling his enormous potential.

Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter has decided not to consider Tomic for Australia's opening Davis Cup tie against Taiwan in February due to what he believes is a questionable attitude towards representing his country.

The 20-year-old's dismal end to the year meant his ranking slid from number 27 in June to number 52.

When asked what advice she would give Tomic, Stosur said: "'What are you doing? Are you wanting to play tennis?

"'If you are, then give it 100 per cent because you only get one crack at it'.

"He's going to have to decide what he wants to do and how he's going to approach his career.

"Until that improves in a lot of people's eyes, he's going to have to deal with things like being dropped out of the Davis Cup team."

Stosur added it would be unfortunate to witness Tomic's undoubted talent go to waste.

"That's probably the most disappointing thing for a lot of people on the outside - that he's got this unbelievable tennis ability and he's not really using it at the moment," said the world number nine and US Open title winner.

"So I think everyone would like to see him knuckle down and do his best and see where that gets him."

AAP

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First posted December 06, 2012 13:43:47

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Stosur suffers early exit from WTA finals

Updated October 26, 2012 09:35:15

Samantha Stosur missed a chance to make the semi-finals of the WTA Tour Championships for the third straight time after losing her opening match in Istanbul.

Stosur, who was a late call-up for the season-ending tournament after defending champion Petra Kvitova withdrew with illness, went down 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 to Italian seventh seed Sara Errani.

The Aussie needed to win both of her White Group matches to progress, with her next encounter against Maria Sharapova now effectively a dead rubber.

Stosur hit 26 more winners but also 24 more unforced errors in an erratic display which ended with a double fault on match point.

"I really wanted to try and play a good match tonight and be at least one match up, but obviously the result wasn't quite that way," Stosur told the WTA website.

"It was a little bit up and down - in the second set I got off to a good lead and then was able to hold onto that and win the set, and then I had a break point in the first game of the third and missed a return, and then it was like all the energy went out of me.

"I certainly dug myself into too much of a hole to try and get out."

Errani faces a must-win match against Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska if she is to join Sharapova in advancing from the group.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams reached the semis with what is fast becoming a routine defeat of world number one Victoria Azarenka.

The Wimbledon and US Open champion recorded a 6-4, 6-4 win, her fifth triumph over the Belarusian this year. Williams also owns an 11-1 record in their career head-to-heads.

The win was Williams' third at the tournament and while she is guaranteed to top the round robin Red Group, Azarenka must now beat China's Li Na to reach the last four.

The eighth-ranked Li ended German Angelique Kerber's participation in the event with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph.

Azarenka's power troubles nearly every other player on the WTA Tour but Williams has a substantially bigger serve than most and an equally good return.

Williams was again let down by her serving, but she still managed 35 winners to just 15 for Azarenka, broke her five times and won the match when Azarenka doubled faulted for the ninth time.

"I had too many opportunities that I didn't use," Azarenka said.

"She played really well. I didn't execute well enough. For me, the key word today was discipline, which was missing."

The 31-year-old Williams was at a lost to explain her dominance over Azarenka.

"Maybe I'm doing the right things at the right time." Williams said. "I don't know what the edge is."

Azarenka admitted she struggled mentally against Williams but fancied one more match against her before the year was done.

"She's playing great tennis," Azarenka said.

"She's letting her tennis speak for itself. My biggest opponent is her right now. I'll do everything I can. I might still have a chance to play against her in this tournament [in the final], so we'll see."

ABC/Reuters

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First posted October 26, 2012 09:32:51

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Stosur sets up final against Wozniacki

Updated October 21, 2012 10:29:51

Samantha Stosur battled back from a set down to beat Serbian fourth seed Ana Ivanovic on her way to the final of the WTA Kremlin Cup tournament.

Stosur, ranked ninth in the world, won through 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 and will next face former world number one and third seed Wozniacki, who also needed three sets to get past Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4.

Former French Open champion Ivanovic, 24, was in complete command in the opening set playing aggressive tennis to produce three breaks for a 1-0 lead, as 28-year-old Stosur struggled with her serve.

No big serves were produced in the second set before the eighth game when 2011 US Open champion Stosur broke to level at 1-1 after 39 more minutes on court.

In the deciding set Stosur broke again in the fifth game. Ivanovic took a break to receive treatment for a right hip problem but she failed to recover completely allowing the Australian to make another break to enter her season's second final.

"In the first set Ana (Ivanovic) was playing quite well making good first shots in the rally which forced me to play defensively," Stosur said.

"But in the second set I started serving a lot better and played much more accurate on return. I improved my movement and started playing more offensively and with that I managed to reverse and win the match."

Earlier Arvidsson, playing her eighth career semi-final, got off to a confident start breaking early for a 3-1 lead against Dane Wozniacki.

But Wozniacki, who is currently 11th in the world, broke back twice to take the opening set in 40 minutes.

The opponents traded breaks in the second set and in the tiebreak that ensued 46th-ranked Arvidsson pulled level at one set all after one hour 46 minutes on court.

In the deciding set the rivals were still exchanging breaks but this time Monte Carlo resident Wozniacki was more accurate winning the set and the match in two hours 33 minutes.

"I was really fighting out there. It's tough on this surface to finish off the point," said Wozniacki who will play her third final of the season.

In the men's section of the event Italy's second seed Andreas Seppi, 25th in the ATP rankings, ousted Malek Jaziri of Tunisia in straight sets 6-3 6-1 to reach his fourth final of the season.

In the final the 28-year-old Seppi will face fourth-seeded Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil, who saw off Croatian hard-server Ivo Karlovic in a tight three-setter 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4.

Tags: sport, tennis, russian-federation, australia

First posted October 21, 2012 08:03:55

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Stosur wins Newcombe Medal

Updated December 03, 2012 23:09:24

Ultra-consistent Samantha Stosur continued her domination of the Newcombe Medal on Monday night, being named Australia's most outstanding tennis player for a third straight year.

Although Stosur did not claim any singles titles in 2012, she reached the final at Doha and Moscow and was a semi-finalist in four other events, including the French Open.

The 28-year-old Queenslander also made a solid defence of her US Open title, advancing to the last eight at Flushing Meadows before bowing out to world number one Victoria Azarenka.

Stosur - whose year-end ranking dropped three places to number nine - became the first Australian woman since Wendy Turnbull to finish in the world top 10 three years in succession.

"Receiving the Newcombe Medal for a third year in a row is an amazing honour," Stosur said.

"The Newcombe Medal is a great occasion for the Australian tennis community to come together and celebrate our sport, recognise people's achievements and contributions to Australian tennis."

The other finalists were French Open mixed doubles champion Casey Dellacqua, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic.

Josh Eagle was honoured as Australia's best high performance coach at the function at Crown Palladium in Melbourne.

Eagle coaches Matosevic, who made giant strides in 2012 to end the year as Australia's highest ranked men's player.

Luke Saville, the 2011 Wimbledon and 2012 Australian Open junior champion, and Ashleigh Barty, who won last year's junior Wimbledon crown, were named junior athletes of the year.

It was the third straight year Barty had won the award.

She improved her ranking by more than 600 places in 2012, claiming four ITF titles along the way.

Ian Barclay - who coached Pat Cash to his 1987 Wimbledon triumph - was honoured with the President's spirit of tennis award.

Barclay's coaching career stretched over five decades.

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, australia

First posted December 03, 2012 22:17:49

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Stosur sets up Ivanovic clash

Updated October 20, 2012 15:43:22

Top-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur has set up a semi-final against Ana Ivanovic in Moscow, but Lleyton Hewitt lost to Nicolas Almagro in Stockholm.

Stosur eased into the Kremlin Cup semi-finals with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Czech Klara Zakopalova.

Stosur, currently ninth in the WTA rankings, was in command from the start breaking Zakopalova's serve three times for a one-set lead in 27 minutes.

In the second set, Stosur was trailing 3-1 after Zakopalova broke in the third game. But the 2011 US Open champion then broke back twice to win the set and the match.

Stosur will now face Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion and fourth seed, who also advanced into the semi-finals beating unheralded compatriot Vesna Dolonc 6-4 6-1 in an all-Serbian quarter-final.

"It's going to be a tough match as we didn't play each other for a long time," Stosur said about Sunday's semi-final (AEDT).

"I'm going to be ready for anything. I shall concentrate on my own game, be ready to work hard and be also ready for long rallies."

Third seed Caroline Wozniacki defeated defending champion Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia and will face Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden in the other semi-final.

Hewitt, meanwhile, was downed 6-1, 6-4 by Spaniard Almagro in just over an hour in the Stockholm Open.

The first set was a disaster for Hewitt, winning just 30% of points on his second serve as he was swiftly cast aside.

The second stanza was much more competitive but though the former world number one created four break point opportunities to Almagro's three, he could not force a deciding set.

Marinko Matosevic also lost on Saturday (AEDT) in the Vienna Open, going out 6-2, 6-2 to top-seed Juan Martin Del Potro.

AFP/ABC

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First posted October 20, 2012 08:55:41

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Stosur goes down in Moscow final

Updated October 22, 2012 17:13:19

Third seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark won the WTA Kremlin Cup on Sunday, beating Australian top seed Samantha Stosur in the final.

Former world number one Wozniacki won 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 for her 20th career title and second this year to level her head-to-head record with ninth-ranked Stosur at 3-3.

Wozniacki, currently 11th in the world, broke early for a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Stosur broke back in the fifth game but failed to level as the Dane produced two more breaks to take the opening set in 37 minutes.

Stosur, the 2011 US Open champion, fought back in the second set to level at one set all after one hour 20 minutes on court.

The 28-year-old Australian started the deciding set with an immediate break to grab the 2-0 lead but Wozniacki broke back in the sixth to level at three games all.

In the 12th game Wozniacki made the deciding break to win the set and the match in two hours, 13 minutes when Stosur, who survived two match points, sent the ball off the court with a forehand cross.

"It was a tough match and it could have gone either way," Wozniacki said in Russian after the match.

"You win some, I win some, but that's sport," she said to Stosur.

Wozniacki received a silver trophy and a $122,000 cheque, while runner-up Stosur pocketed $66,250.

Italian second seed Andreas Seppi came from behind to beat Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 in the men's final.

Bellucci, seeded fourth, twice served for the match in the second set, but Seppi fought back to force a tiebreak.

The world number 25 then secured a key break midway through the final set before claiming his second title of the year.

AFP/Reuters

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First posted October 21, 2012 22:33:36

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Stosur eyes off Istanbul chance

Updated October 16, 2012 09:15:56

Australia's Samantha Stosur says she is still looking to sneak into a potential backdoor slot for the $4.9 million WTA Championships in Istanbul later this month.

The 2011 US Open champion, currently ninth in the world, had been desperate to sneak into the season-ending WTA championship but missed out on the elite top-eight line-up after losing early to Julia Goerges in Beijing.

That defeat allowed China's Li Na to claim the final spot in the money-spinning tournament, leaving 28-year-old Stosur dependent on an injury withdrawal if she is to extend her season.

Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli is also breathing down Stosur's neck to be first choice replacement.

Stosur, top seed in Moscow this week, told reporters that this year, in contrast to some earlier sub-par showings in the Russian capital, she would be out to hit top form and take the title.

"This year I'm definitely come into this tournament hoping to do well," the 28-year-old Stosur, who announced a last-moment withdrawal from playing in Moscow last year.

"Last year I decided to withdraw from playing here just after the final in Osaka having already qualified for the WTA Championships. It was impossible to play all the Asian swing and then continue playing here.

"But this year I have a goal to finish ninth if possible. Of course me and Marion (Bartoli) will watch closely each other's perfomance here, both hoping to finish as the first substitute in Istanbul.

"And as far as we both failed to qualify for the main draw we'll go to Istanbul prepared to play at any moment looking what will happen to the other players there."

Stosur also said that she was satisfied in general with her performance this season.

"Compared to last year, this year looks probably more disappointing as my results were much lower," Stosur said.

"I didn't have such a big win like the US Open, but I had lot of semis and lot of quarters this year and overall it wasn't really bad."

AFP

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First posted October 16, 2012 09:15:56

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Stosur dumped from Osaka semis

Updated October 13, 2012 19:28:51

Sam Stosur's push for the second spot in the Japan Open final failed on Saturday as she fell in three sets to Taipei's Chang Kai-chen.

Stosur lost the first set but reclaimed the second before dropping a hard-fought final set in a tiebreak to go down 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3).

Kai-chen will face Heather Watson in the final after the Brit beat local hopeful Misaki Doi 7-6 (7/2), 7-5.

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First posted October 13, 2012 19:28:51

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Hewitt and Stosur to play Brisbane International

Updated October 09, 2012 21:48:45

Lleyton Hewitt is hoping a change of schedule will bring better fortune at the Australian Open after agreeing to debut at the Brisbane International.

Hewitt and world number nine Samantha Stosur confirmed on Tuesday they will start their Australian Open build-ups at the Brisbane tournament from December 30-January 6, joining fellow grand slam winners Andy Murray, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova at Queensland Tennis Centre.

For 31-year-old former world number one Hewitt it's a first, though he has enjoyed some memorable career moments in Brisbane, most notably the epic and spiteful 1999 Davis Cup tie against Russia.

Hewitt beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who branded the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre grasscourt venue a "potato field", and then iced the tie by beating Marat Safin to clinch a memorable 4-1 victory.

"I've got some great memories of Brisbane and have had a couple of good wins there so hopefully it might change things for me in 2013," said Hewitt, who is ranked 105 after another tough season marred by injury.

"I love playing Australian tournaments and Brisbane is always a tough field and I want as many tough matches a possible, especially at that time of year.

World number nine Stosur was looking forward to playing in front of her home crowd for the fourth time and hoping she could produce some better results.

"It's always fun to play at home. You don't get many opportunities to play in your home country and the state that you've grown up in," said 2011 US Open champion Stosur.

"I have had a couple of good wins at the Brisbane International. I would like more, so hopefully that will change in 2013.

"It is a good week and a great atmosphere playing at Pat Rafter Arena ... the bigger the tournament has got, the bigger the names that want to come out and play.

"What better preparation than playing the best players in the world straight up."

AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, brisbane-4000

First posted October 09, 2012 14:07:03

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Stosur advances in Osaka

Updated October 08, 2012 18:23:15

Top seed Samantha Stosur progressed to the second round of the Japan Open in Osaka.

The world number nine, who made the final last year, beat local hope Erika Sema 6-4, 6-2.

In other results, fellow Australian Casey Dellacqua downed Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, American Jamie Hampton beat Japan's Ayumi Morita 6-3, 6-2 and France's Pauline Parmentier defeated countrywoman Mathilde Johansson 6-2, 6-2.

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First posted October 08, 2012 18:23:15

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Stosur and Tsonga heading to Sydney

Updated October 10, 2012 11:00:21

Samantha Stosur and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga head the list of entries in the Australian Open warm-up Sydney International tournament.

Stosur, who will play a week earlier at the Brisbane International, said the competitive field made the Sydney event a key part of her Australian Open preparation.

"Every year the tournament is tough, the cut off is around 25 in the world so you really jump straight in the deep end there," Stosur said.

"Going into the first grand slam of the year you want to be playing the best in the world and that always happens in Sydney."

Tsonga hopes playing at Sydney can help him repeat the form of 2008 when he went from playing the warm-up event to reaching the final of the year's first major.

"For me it's very important to prepare well for the Australian Open," said Tsonga, who last played in the event in 2009.

"Playing the Sydney event provides great preparation.

"Right after in 2008 I played the final at the Australian Open."

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First posted October 10, 2012 11:00:21

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Stosur through to Osaka semis

Updated October 12, 2012 18:39:32

Top seed Samantha Stosur moved through to the semi-finals of the Japan Open with a straight-sets defeat of American Jamie Hampton in Osaka.

Stosur encountered little trouble in winning the quarter-final clash 6-2, 6-4.

She will next meet Taiwan's Chang Kai-Chen, who beat number eight seed Laura Robson of Great Britain 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 ( 7-4).

The other semi-final will be contested by Briton Heather Watson and Japan's Misaki Doi.

Watson triumphed 7-5, 6-3 over France's Pauline Parmentier 7-5, 6-3, while Doi advanced by beating South African seventh seed Chanelle Scheepers 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.

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First posted October 12, 2012 18:38:01

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Stosur advances in Japan, Dellacqua out

Updated October 10, 2012 18:54:55

Samantha Stosur dropped a set but bounced back to progress to the third round of the Japan Open, but countrywoman Casey Dellacqua was not so lucky.

Stosur lost the first set 1-6 to France's Virginie Razzano before recovering to take the next two 6-2, 6-4.

Taiwan's Chang Kai-Chen fought off Dellacqua in a first-set tiebreak before comfortably winning 7-6 (6/4), 6-3.

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First posted October 10, 2012 18:54:55

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Djokovic struggles, Stosur exits China Open

Updated October 03, 2012 10:36:02

Novak Djokovic made a rusty return to action at the China Open, while Samantha Stosur made a shock second-round exit at the hands of German Julia Goerges.

Djokovic, playing his first match since losing last month's US Open final to Andy Murray, beat German qualifier Michael Berrer 6-1, 6-7, (3-7), 6-2 in the men's first round, but the performance was far from impressive.

The Serbian world number two took the first set with ease but lost the second on a tie-break after hitting several unforced errors against the 123rd-ranked left-hander, before improving his groundstrokes for the decider.

"I had a tough time to really return his serve in the second (set), because he went for precision more than the speed of his first serves," Djokovic said.

"He had a very high percentage of first serves in and he put a lot of pressure on my serves. I tried to stay closer to the line in the third, and it worked."

Goerges, ranked 21st in the world, provided one of the day's upsets with her 7-6, (7-2), 4-6, 7-5 win over eighth seed Stosur.

A double fault from Stosur in the final set gave Goerges break point for the match, which she quickly put away.

Throughout the match, Stosur was frustrated by her mistakes and after falling far behind in the tiebreak, she earned a warning from the umpire for profanity.

World number one Victoria Azarenka, who pulled out of last week's Pan Pacific Open quarter-finals with fatigue, stormed into the third round by ousting Germany's Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-2.

Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska also went through, defeating China's Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-3.

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki fought back from a set down to defeat Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei 6-7, (5-7), 7-6, (7-3), 6-0.

Chinese star Li Na brushed aside on-form Nadia Petrova of Russia in straight sets to progress to the last 16.

Asia's top women's player, who needs a strong showing this week to qualify for the WTA Championships in Istanbul later this month, won the match convincingly at a packed National Tennis Stadium 6-1, 6-2.

It was the 2011 French Open champion's first win against Petrova, who triumphed at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Saturday, in seven attempts.

"That's the charm in playing tennis. Every day you can challenge yourself," Li said.

"You are defeated consecutively, but it doesn't mean you are defeated by her all the time. This is sport. You never know what's going to happen."

Men's second seed David Ferrer retired due to illness during the first set of his match against Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun, while third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France battled to a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin.

French fifth seed Richard Gasquet easily accounted for Australian Matthew Ebden, downing him 6-2, 6-4.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, china

First posted October 03, 2012 10:33:08

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Stosur goes down in Tokyo

Updated September 28, 2012 19:02:51

Samantha Stosur bowed out of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo after losing her semi-final to Russian Nadia Petrova.

Petrova accounted for the 2011 US Open champion in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-2.

She will meet Poland's third seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the final.

Radwanska thrashed the third-seeded German Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-1 in the second semi-final.

Tags: tennis, sport, japan

First posted September 28, 2012 17:31:01

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Stosur sends Sharapova packing

Updated September 27, 2012 20:41:35

Samantha Stosur prevailed in straight sets against Maria Sharapova to advance to the Pan Pacific Open semi-finals in Tokyo.

Stosur triumphed 6-4, 7-6 (12-10) to set up a clash with another Russian, Nadia Petrova, in the last four.

Petrova came from behind to beat Sara Errani of Italy 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Two-time champion Sharapova took a service break lead first in both sets, losing the advantage both times before coming back from 3-5 down in the second set to force a tie-breaker.

Sharapova staved off four match points in the tie-breaker, but surrendered the match on Stosur's fifth match point.

"It was tough, Stosur said.

"I knew I lost nine points in a row (at 5-3 in the second set). I just tried to start well in the tie-breaker and I did get off to a good start. I just tried to keep going forward.

"In the tie-breaker, I had match points and she had set points. You don't get a few in a row and you don't know what happens. I just tried to keep going forward."

Meanwhile, world number one Victoria Azarenka withdrew from the tournament because of fatigue.

ABC/AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, japan

First posted September 27, 2012 20:38:56

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