Samantha Stosur has knocked out Justine Henin 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the fourth round of the French Open, ending Henin's 24-match winning streak at the event.
"I just wanted so much that the adventure could keep going," said Henin, who won the event in 2007 was returning for the first time since retiring in April 2008. "I haven't been, of course, at my best today. Samantha was the best player on the court. She took her chances, the opportunities."
After losing the first set, Stosur went up 3-0 to start the second and then broke early in the third set, but lost the advantage after playing a poor service game that included two double faults. But she quickly broke again to serve for the match at 5-4, and managed to hold on to he game as Henin faltered.
"I thought I handled the situation well, especially at that moment when I got the lead and then lost it again," said Stosur."
Henin, whose level dropped after the first set, said that not having a day off between matches may have been a factor in her performance. Henin's win over Maria Sharapova in the previous round stretched over Saturday and Sunday, with the Belgian having to come back on Monday for the match against Stosur.
"My nerves were simply not strong enough today" she said. "I felt very nervous, which is normally not the way I am.
"The last few days have not been easy, playing all those matches back-to-back was not easy. This teaches me a lesson. I lost a lot of energy at the beginning of the tournament, and maybe today I was feeling some nervous fatigue."
Stosur is through to the quarterfinals, where she next faces Serena Williams. "It's not over yet," said Stosur. "And to know that going into that match against Serena I've just done that [beaten Henin] is I think going to help me."