Sorana Cirstea sent a skittish Samantha Stosur packing in the first round of last month's Australian Open. In today's rematch in Doha, Stosur showed no signs of mental baggage lingering from that loss.
Playing with confidence on pivotal points in her first tournament match since that upset, Stosur withstood a stiff test from the 49th-ranked Romanian, scoring a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory to reach the second round. Little separated the pair in a match where both women served with authority—Stosur won exactly three more points (76 to 73) and saved five of six break points, while Cirstea erased five of seven break points and hit eight aces.
Stylistically, both women are aggressive baseliners who play different patterns. Stosur varies the height and depth of her shots, following up low, slice backhands that nearly skim the net with her trademark forehand that can handcuff opponents with its shoulder-high bounce. While Stosur can displace opponents by bending heavy topspin at sharp angles, Cirstea is at her best drilling flatter blasts cross-court to create space for her favored, down-the-line drives.
The match was on serve until the ninth game, when Cirstea blinked, hitting her first double fault followed by a down-the-line forehand that strayed wide to hand Stosur a break point. Playing exclusively to the Aussie's backhand in an effort to avoid that ferocious forehand, Cirstea squeezed herself short of space, scattered another forehand wide, and Stosur had the break and a 5-4 lead. Stosur smacked successive jolting first serves to seal the first set in 36 minutes.
Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis was in the stands as Stosur angled off a biting backhand volley that set up a leaping smash in the fourth game of the second set. When you see the former top-ranked doubles player apply her athleticism and aggression so emphatically, you can't help but wonder why she doesn't do it more often. The third seed won eight of nine trips to the net today. The 21-year-old Cirstea, who could pass for Ana Ivanovic's kid sister with her dark hair held in place by her ever-present adidas visor, had a penchant for pulling the trigger prematurely in the past, but played with more patience today. She also showed some sting on her serve, permitting just two points in her first four service games of the second set, at one point hitting three consecutive aces.
On a day in which seven seeds were eliminated, Stosur's only real stumble came after she pounded a forehand cross-court to break for a 5-4 lead. She failed to serve it out then found herself down 3-5 in the breaker, but Stosur hit a clean backhand winner down the line and cracked two forehand winners for match point. A quality match concluded on a Cirstea double fault.
"I just tried to keep playing aggressive, play the way I know I can and enjoy myself," said Stosur, who lacked the sports shades, but wore the wide smiling missing in her Melbourne loss.
—Richard Pagliaro