Samantha Stosur made her debut in the women’s singles final of the United States Open Tennis Tournament a tremendous success while Serena Williams’ appearance proved to be quite a disappointment.
Maybe, the two matches in almost less than a two-day span was too much for the 29-year-old African American. Stosur, who hails from Australia, is a little younger than her rival, 27.
On the way to the final, Stosur pulled off a big victory over second seeded Vera Zvonareva, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarter final round while Williams kept advancing in each round. Williams entered the U.S. Open seeded number 28.
The fans at the USTA National Tennis Center in Queens seemed to favor Serena, who was on a roll as she won the women’s U.S. Open Series title prior to the start of the U.S. Open and during the summer.
However, Williams just could not pull it off and went home feeling disappointed as Stosur captured the match in her debut in the tournament, 6-2, 6-3, in a quick one hour 13 minutes final on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Most of the fans were hoping that the African American athlete would pull ‘it’ out but maybe the short rest period between both rounds slightly affected her performance.
Both females played really, really well in a great tournament but Stosur came out the better competitor.
“I did my best,” said Williams, who was thankful that she got this far. “It’s been an arduous road, after six months ago when I was in the hospital and never thought I would be standing here today.”
“She played really well,” Serena added, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. “We worked so hard.”
Serena missed most of the season with a pulmonary embolism. One never knew if she would play again. But she pulled together and did for the entire tournament and finished runner-up.
“I’ve been beating all odds by playing in the tournament,” said Serena, before the finals. “I’ve been a champion for everyone out there who are fighting against all odds and staying positive.”
Meanwhile, a Grand Slam title meant a lot to Stosur. Her previous best finish in such a tournament came when she wound up runner-up at Roland Garros last year.
“She deserved all the credit,” added Williams, whose sister Venus was eliminated in the second round of the U.S. Open tournament. “She’s (Samantha is) an elite athlete and is a role model. I’m 29. Hopefully (we’ll both) be back next year. Every year that I lose I get better.”
All the players in the women’s three tournaments-singles, doubles and mixed doubles-put on good showings.
“What a tremendous (final) match and for tennis for two weeks here,” said United States Tennis Association President & Tournament Chair John Vegosen, who thanked the fans who supported the U.S. Open Championships. “And Serena made a tremendous come back. She put on a tremendous performance and did a great job.”
Samantha also thanked everyone for supporting her. Each player went home with cash prizes, as well, thanks to the many sponsors.
