Francesca Schiavone upset US Open champion Samantha Stosur’s preparations for next week’s Australian Open with a straight-sets opening-round win at the Sydney International.
The Italian matched home favourite Stosur’s power with aggression to secure a 6-2, 6-4 win in 90 minutes in the feature match on Ken Rosewall Arena. The loss followed Stosur’s second-round exit from the Brisbane International last week and has left the world number six short of match practice heading into the season’s first Grand Slam starting in Melbourne on January 16.
Schiavone, ranked 11, has been a tricky opponent for Stosur, beating her in the 2010 French Open final and in last year’s Fed Cup tie in Australia.
“I think I was really aggressive, and she couldn’t play her game at the best,” said Schiavone, who next plays Daniela Hantuchova. “You have to play at a top level, and I think it’s not easy for her to play here in Australia. I think to play at home, when you love something, is tough to catch it. For the Australian Open it will be different.”
Stosur, who mastered Serena Williams in last year’s US Open final, said she failed to cope with the centre court crowd’s expectations.
“I think I certainly didn’t handle that side of things at all well,” said Stosur. “I think playing in Australia, I want to play the best I can play and do it all here this month right here right now. Then, when it doesn’t happen, it’s obviously disappointing. It probably makes it more disappointing here than anywhere else.”
Defending champion Li Na, third-seed Victoria Azarenka and eighth-seed Marion Bartoli all progressed to the last-16. Elsewhere, two-time grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova upstaged sixth-seeded Russian compatriot Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-2 and Dominika Cibulkova defeated China’s Peng Shuai 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to face world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the second round.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2012.
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