Becoming a Grand Slam champion can present new and anxiety-inducing challenges and pressures, as Sam Stosur learned after she won the U.S. Open last September. But it also yields many benefits beyond the two most obvious ones, fame and fortune.
In Stosur's case, the dividend she cashed today in her fourth-round match with Sloane Stephens was the advantage called experience. The match was moved from Court Philippe Chatrier to Court 1, which is called the Bullring because of its oval shape and the proximity of the spectators to the players. It has a great atmosphere when full, but because of the late hour and the shifting of the court assignment, it was virtually empty—and stayed that way through most of Stosur's 7-5, 6-4 win.
The commentators I listened to (on NBC, led by the estimable John McEnroe) thought the move to the smaller, nearly empty court favored Stosur, but I'm not so sure. Just 19 years old and No. 79 in the WTA rankings, Stephens has not had to deal with nearly as many curve balls as has her 28-year-old veteran opponent, who could be expected to handle the "I shaved my legs for this?" implications of the switch and the conditions with less loss of focus.
Besides, Stephens had nothing to lose but a match. Stosur had that, as well as a fair amount of reputation on the line. If Stosur were forced to navigate the nerves she ultimately showed in the nearly empty Bullring out there on Chatrier, with a full house throwing its intimidating, emotional weight behind the underdog Stephens, who knows what might have happened?
What is certain is that Stosur's experience was a valuable component in her strategic and tactical approach to the match. She took the game right to the young American, taking command of the points as early and often as she could, relying heavily on her marvelous kick serve to force Stephens to give up seeming acres of territory right from the get-go. The debutante fourth-rounder seemed to be content to react to her opponent rather than attempting to challenge her directly. In so doing, Stephens revealed a rookie's lack of understanding of basic court positioning, and a penchant for pursuing a predictable, safe course predicated on hitting mostly cross-court during rallies that also cost her dearly.
Still, Stephens' fluid, powerful serve and that heavy ball she hits, especially on the forehand, were weapons that presented Stosur with significant obstacles—as did her calm demeanor. Too calm, perhaps, at certain times, but we're getting to that.
The first significant blow of the match was struck by Stephens, who broke Stosur to break a 3-3 first-set deadlock. Stosur jumped out to a 40-15 lead in that game, but a forehand error followed by a backhand error, then a double fault, brought her face-to-face with a break point. Stosur was choking; Stephens applied the pressure and won the game when she stayed firm in a rally until the Aussie hit an ugly backhand.
Stephens' first hurdle was holding to consolidate the break. That she did. Her next task was to serve out the set at 5-4. That she was unable to do. She fell behind 15-40, and while Stosur took chances that paid off, Stephens remained passive—as if she could win the game by ambush, or simply by returning what Stosur dished up and hoping for the best. Stosur botched her first break point, but made good on the second when she forced a backhand error.
Back on serve, Stosur struggled to hold the next game, saving two break points (on those, she hit a big forehand winner and Stephens missed an inside-out forehand blast). Stosur clinched the game with a serve-and-volley point (a drop-volley, no less!) that was as pretty as it was deadly and unexpected. Have we mentioned the word "experience?"
Stephens hoped to get to the haven of a tiebreaker, but the air had gone out of her spirit, and her game. The court was dappled with distracting shadows; the little stadium was so devoid of spectators that each struck ball made a resounding echo. It could not have been a very inspiring setting to hold off the aggressive incursions of the world's sixth-ranked player. And so it was; Stephens began that game with a double fault, followed on with a forehand shank, watched a forehand winner whiz by, and hit another double fault to gift Stosur the set.
Capitalizing on the youngster's letdown, Stosur ripped off five of the next six games and served for the second set at 5-1. That's when things got a little western. Stephens caught a second wind and broke; held; and broke again—the nerves clearly showing in Stosur. But it was as if Stephens could not quite believe she ought to win the set. Serving to level it at 5-all, Stephens feet again grew roots and she lost four straight points, ending with a cross-court backhand error that sealed her fate.
It was a match that contained enough lessons for keep Stephens' coach Roger Smith busy for quite some time.
—Pete Bodo