M
aria Sharapova will freely admit that her movement on clay leaves a bit to be desired, Sam Stosur, on the other hand, has consistently produced good results on the red dirt in the previous two seasons and yet it was Sharapova who took the Rome title, thumping the Australian 6-2, 6-4. This year Stosur has struggled with her confidence and belief that she deserves a top ten ranking. Her confidence has been handed another blow with her defeat overnight.
In the first four games Stosur won just three
points, needless to say Sam kissed the first set goodbye. Again she was broken in the opening game of the second set but from there she put up more of a fight but it wasn’t enough and she wasn’t able to win the big points – partially because Sharapova was intent on maintaining a lead, and partly because Stosur is unreliable under stress.
It is certainly not the boost Stosur needed going into Roland Garros where she has been the runner up for the last two years. It’s a shame because Stosur has a great game and a brilliant serve she just doesn’t seem to have the mental strength required to close matches out (think Serena Williams RG last year – should have been two sets, or 1st rnd Sydney 2010) or really step up under pressure.
