Samantha Stosur of Australia kisses the trophy she won on Sunday at the WTA HP Japan Women’s Open held Oct. 12-18, 2009 in Osaka, Japan. At age 25, it was her first WTA singles title since turning pro in 1999.
The No. 13 ranked player was hardly tested throughout the tournament. She won each of her first three matches in straight sets, defeating Alexandra Panova 6-2, 6-4, Akiko Morigami 6-1, 6-2, Jill Craybas 6-1, 6-3. In the Semifinals, No. 6 ranked Caroline Wozniacki took Stosur to 3 sets, with Stosur coming out on top 6-0, 4-6, 6-4. In the Final match, Stosur was back to a straight sets victory over No. 24 ranked Francesca Schiavone 7-5, 6-1 to take home the hardware.
Stosur was quoted at Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, “I’m very, very pleased to win my first title after losing five previous finals. It has been a personal goal for a while, so I’m glad to have achieved it and it’s the perfect way to finish my year in singles. My next goal is to reach the Top 10, for which I would need to play like today every day.”
Stosur had been on a downward trend the past three years, being ranked No. 29 at the end of 2006, No. 46 at the end of 2007, and No. 49 at the end of 2008. Currently ranked No. 13, she has made a good turn around and her goal of reaching the Top Ten certainly seems possible.
You can see more of Stosur’s career stats at Sony Ericcson WTA Tour.
