Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur Battle for French Open Semis
- By Nila A on June 2, 2010 16:48 GMT
Samantha Stosur stands in Serena Williams’ way of a spot in the French Open semis when they collide today in the women’s singles quarterfinals.
Samantha Stosur, the 2009 semi-finalist, is after dismissing pre-tournament favourite Justine Henin in the last 16. This win might have had a hand scaling down her odds against Serena.
Most likely, her clay-court form this season had a hand in it as well. Stosur is playing arguably the best clay-court tennis of any player on the WTA Tour and that in itself is what makes her a tempting bet for those looking to buck the trend in this match.
In beating Henin, Stosur inadvertently elevated Serena in market estimation; the American is now the de facto favourite to win the French Open title come the weekend.
So it is Serena’s tournament to lose. And it would be silly to argue that score. But just because it is so, doesn’t mean she will not meet with an untimely end in the quarters.
Stosur is that good that she has a real shot in this match. Taking out Justine Henin has to have helped her confidence (at times suspect) and should prepare her for a clash against Serena in a way no other victory could have done.
The Aussie has a respectable record against Serena. She trails lifetime against Serena 1-3 but in that mark is a win over Serena at Stanford – on the American’s home patch which is a commendable feat. It has to be pointed out: Serena returned the favour by taking out Stosur at the 2010 Aussie Open R16, en route to the title.
That Serena reaches the quarters in spite of lacking significant clay-court preparation (she has been injured and sidelined since the Aussie Open), shows how great she is at this level.
Yet the market is not wholly convinced. Serena Williams is a firm favourite to win outright but at 2/5 odds I can’t say she is a hot favourite. Stosur is a mere 7/4 puppy. This is a rather tight market which could be a sign of trouble brewing for the American.
It comes down to Stosur’s belief: does she have the mental wherewithal to beat Serena. Because she certainly has the game and aside from a touch of nerves undoing her, no other reason is there to believe Stosur can't beat Serena.
