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Second seed
Patty Schnyder hit back from a set down to beat local favourite Samantha
Stosur 1-6 6-3 7-5 in the Australian women's hardcourt final.
Swiss star Schnyder lost the first set in just 17 minutes before
claiming her ninth career WTA victory.
She sealed victory with a powerful first serve after breaking her
opponent in the previous game.
Schnyder, the world number 14, trailed 0-40 but took the game and the
opportunity to serve out the match.
Schnyder broke 20-year-old Stosur in the sixth game of the second set to
take a 4-2 lead before levelling the match at a set apiece on the back
of an overrule by a linesman.
The baseline linesman overruled his initial call on a Stosur winner that
would have given the Australian a vital break and chair umpire Scott Ray
ordered the point to be replayed.
Schnyder, handling the big pressure points the better, went on to hold
serve and level the match before securing victory in almost two hours.
Schnyder said the
victory was no easy feat, but felt great.
"It
was tough," she said. "Especially like the beginning she was all over me
and I had no chance to break her. It was a really lucky turnaround in
the second set. And I well deserved the third set I think.
"She’s a
great player and I’m really happy to win such a difficult match and to
win overall. I’m really excited about starting the year like this. It’s
always nice to play five matches in a row like this and leave a place as
a champion."
The Swiss has now claimed three of her nine titles on Australian soil,
including her first ever in Hobart, and was a semifinalist at last
year’s Australian Open. She said she was looking forward to the rest of
the Aussie summer.
"It’s
great," she said of the title. "I’m aiming for ten now so that’s great.
I’m having so much fun playing Australia. It’s by far my best continent
for titles. I love coming back here and also Melbourne, it’s a great
Grand Slam."
Schnyder predicted big things for the Australian and compared her power
to that of reigning US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
"She’s playing really good tennis in Australia, but so far she hasn’t be
able to play constantly good in the States or in Europe, but she’s
definitely a very good player.
"She
has some unbelievable weapons. I guess she’s going to be around 30 for
sure (by the end of the year). She can be even higher (than that) if she
maintains her level.
"(She
compares to) a really strong player with a powerful arm like Kuznetsova
or even Molik with her serve. She’s got big power in her arm and great
acceleration."
Both
Stosur and Schnyder will now travel to Sydney to compete in the Tier II
Medibank International. Stosur has been awarded a wildcard into the main
draw. |
