will leave the stage on a high. This second-round appearance was Stosur’s 797th tour-level singles match, of which she has won more than 450. On Wednesday, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ensured there would not be a 798th, the Russian dispatching the Australian veteran 6-2, 6-2.
Stosur played her first professional match at the age of 14. At 17, she contested her first Australian Open. Since then she has climbed all the way to the top, to world No 4 and the 2011 US Open trophy. Now, 20 years later and ranked 487th, she has earned the right to hop off at the bottom. Pavlyuchenkova too was taken by the moment. “It was actually very emotional for me,” she said. “I had goosebumps when everybody was clapping for Sam. She is such a wonderful human being and also amazing tennis player, so thank you Sam.”
The very fact she made the second round at her 20th - she now equals Lleyton Hewitt’s record for most Australian Open appearances - is testament to the palpable, almost unrecognisable sense of freedom with which she overcame Anderson. It was the first time Stosur had successfully staged an Australian Open comeback after dropping the first set since 2003, when she did so against Spanish star Conchita Martinez.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: IrishTimesSport - 🏆 2. / 99 Read more »
Source: IrishTimesSport - 🏆 2. / 99 Read more »
Source: TodayFM - 🏆 26. / 51 Read more »
Source: RSVPMagazine - 🏆 7. / 76 Read more »