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Sam Stosur needed to claim a set off Elena Dementieva in order to be the first player to make it through to the semi finals in Doha. In the end she managed to take the set but not the match, losing 4-6, 6-4, 7-6. It has been Stosur’s debut in the year end Championship event and she has been in great form, beating Francesca Schiavone and Caroline Wozniacki without dropping a set. Over the last three matches Sam has accumulated over $300,000 in prize money.
Stosur managed to save four match points but it was not enough, and in losing she also lost a bonus $102,000 which she would have otherwise claimed.
“I kept trying to get going, and for the most part, you know, felt obviously into it and tried my hardest. In the end it was a good match. I think we both were kind of a bit off throughout certain periods throughout the match.
I knew after I won that first one that I was in, but that didn’t really cross my mind throughout the rest of the match. I just kept playing point by point and trying to win the match, but wasn’t quite to be.”
Sam will be joined in the semi’s by Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva.
