Tennis News

Stosur Holds Nerve To Edge Out Vinci

January 11, 2016

A leaner-looking Samantha Stosur saw off a determined Roberta Vinci, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, to book a place in the second round of the Apia International Sydney on Monday afternoon.

SYDNEY, Australia – Samantha Stosur held her nerve in a tense finale to edge out Roberta Vinci and reach the second round of the Apia International Sydney.

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Sydney right here on wtatennis.com!

Each January, the question on the lips of everyone involved with Australian tennis is: which Stosur will turn up? The confident, baseline-hogging, Grand Slam winning version, or the nervy, error-strewn one struggling underneath the weight of home expectation.

And as Vinci clawed her way back into the third set, a familiar story looked to be unfolding in front of the Ken Rosewall Arena faithful. But having frittered away a 5-2 lead, a relieved Stosur finally dragged herself over the finishing line when the Italian sent a backhand drifting into the tramlines.

In the off-season, Stosur swapped the gym for a more cardiovascular approach, a decision that paid dividends during a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory, which lasted over two and a half hours under the Sydney sun.

“It was a very long match, a very tough match,” Stosur said. “She knows what she’s doing out there, so you’ve got to know how to combat that. I did that at times, not at others, but I’m glad to get through.”

Since reaching the final over a decade ago, Stosur has failed to make it beyond the second round in Sydney. Blocking her path this time is another of the game’s more experienced heads, Daniela Hantuchova.

“If I could get through that and be in the quarters obviously I would be really pleased and really happy, it’s always nice to progress one round further than you’ve been able to for a long time,” Stosur added.

“That would be a really good confidence boost going into the Aussie Open. If I am in the quarters here, then I’ll try to keep going here as long as possible.”

Elsewhere in the bottom half of the draw, there were wins for Belinda Bencic, Ekaterina Makarova and Monica Puig.

Bencic, who made an early exit last week in Brisbane, got her Australian Open preparations back on track with a 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-4 win over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Puig was also made to work hard, eventually seeing off Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, while Makarova kept her time on court to a minimum, swatting aside Lucie Hradecka, 6-2, 6-1, in under an hour.

MONTRÉAL, Canada – Following vastly contrasting semifinals, Simona Halep and Madison Keys will renew their burgeoning rivalry at the Stade Uniprix on Sunday afternoon. Here are 10 of SAP’s finest facts ahead of their showdown in Canada.

(5) Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs (10) Madison Keys (USA #12)
Head-To-Head: Halep leads, 2-1

1) An epic rivalry in the making?
Halep and Keys could well be contesting major finals for years to come. However, all three of their previous meetings have occurred with the silverware still some way off. Keys won in straight sets in the first round of Sydney in 2014, before Halep gained revenge at the same stage in Rome the following year. They most recently crossed paths earlier this summer in the last 16 of Wimbledon, where Halep fought back to win in three sets.

2) On top of their game.
Both Halep and Keys can stake a claim to be this summer’s form player. Since a surprise loss to Laura Siegemund in Stuttgart, Halep has won 22 of 25 matches, triumphing in Madrid and Bucharest along the way, Keys, meanwhile, has been every bit as impressive, winning 21 of her past 24, reaching a final in Rome and lifting the title in Birmingham during that time.

3) Halep holds a decided edge in big-match experience.
Keys is becoming an increasingly familiar presence at the business end of tennis’ flagship events. All four of her previous final appearances came at Premier or Premier 5 tournaments, picking up the title at two of these (Eastbourne (2014), and Birmingham (2016)). Halep, however, holds the upper hand in terms of big-match experience, having taken home a couple of Premier Mandatory titles in the past few years, at Madrid and Indian Wells, while also finishing runner-up at Roland Garros and the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in 2014.

4) Back-to-back finals no longer a regular occurrence in Canada.
Simona Halep is the first player to reach back-to-back Rogers Cup finals since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 and 2002. Interestingly, every final between 1996 and 2002 featured one player that reached the same stage 12 months earlier.

5) Keys is going for the biggest title of her career and first on hard.
Despite being raised on the hardcourts of the Chris Evert Academy in Boca Raton, Florida, this is the first time Keys has reached a WTA final on the surface. Her best showings prior to this week were semifinal runs at the Australian Open (2015), Sydney (2014) and Osaka (2013). 

6) No stranger to big name upsets.
Keys will be facing off against a Top 5 player for the 16th time in her career on Sunday. Three of her previous encounters have ended in victory, against Li Na (2013 Madrid), Petra Kvitova (2015 Australian Open) and Garbiñe Muguruza (2016 Rome)

7) Keys could break new ground.
Earlier this summer Keys became the 118th player to break into the Top 10. She slipped out following Wimbledon but will return by virtue of reaching the final. Should the American lift the title, she will rise to a career best No.7 in the rankings. Halep will climb to No.3 should she leave with the title and No.4 without.

8) Montréal will have a significant impact on the Road To Singapore leaderboard.
Keys, who has never previously qualified for the WTA Finals, came into the Rogers Cup at No.9 on the Road To Singapore leaderboard but – regardless of the result – will leave no lower than No.6. Halep is guaranteed to rise to No.3.

9) Keys serving notice.
Keys’ imperious serve has been flowing this week, firing down 40 aces in five matches. Against Kristina Kucova in the semifinals, it was particularly dominant; she won 33 of 42 service points and did not face a single break point. 

10) Doubles delight?
In a rare doubles outing, Halep has made it all the way to the final alongside compatriot Monica Niculescu. Should she lift both titles she will be the first player to achieve the feat at the Rogers Cup since Martina Hingis in 2000.