US Open Classics: Samantha Stosur vs Serena Williams, 2011 Final

Samantha Stosur

It was a turbulent US Open. Hurricane Irene swept across New York and Flushing Meadows, causing interminable rain delays and growing clamors for a roof over Arthur Ashe court, and eventually leading to the tournament being extended to the third Monday.

Through it all, Samantha Stosur, the 9th seed, was facing turbulence of her own. She was taken to the brink in a three-and-a-half-hour epic against Nadia Petrova in the 3rd round, followed that up with the longest tie-breaker in women’s tennis Major history (losing 15-17) against Maria Kirilenko in the fourth round, waited for three days to play her next match in the quarterfinals, and endured a last-minute court relocation in the semi-finals. In spite of it all, the final weekend found her firmly ensconced in only the second Major final of her career.

In stark contrast, her opponent in the final, Serena Williams, had steamrolled her way through the draw, culminating in a pummeling handed out to the World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in the previous match. Serena was in her comeback season after battling a life-threatening condition earlier in the year. And though she was not operating at full throttle yet, a recent Masters title at the Rogers Cup (where she beat Stosur in the finals) and a dominant run in the US Open thus far, indicated that the champion had got back into her comfortable groove.

The women’s final was scheduled to be played on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attack, with a host of special events playing out all around in New York. There was an additional sense of occasion to the final, accompanied by a firm, abiding belief that Serena Williams would make it an American day to remember. But as it transpired, it was Stosur who scripted an improbable win, and turned the match into a classic for any fan of the underdog.

It was always known that Sam Stosur had the game for a Major title. Her kick serve is one of the best in the business, her success in doubles means she has honed some great reflexes, her fitness and stamina are unmatched, and she has an all-round solid game that most players would die for. The problem for her has always been the mental aspect. Doubts have always been raised about the lack of steel in her game, about her inability to close the crucial points, the big games, and quite justifiably so.

What didn’t seem to help was her personality, or the lack of it. She is quiet and reserved, almost to a fault. In that sense, she is an anachronism in the women’s game of today, with all the fist-pumps and tantrums and troubled parental problems. In the midst of all that, here is the lady from Down Under who shies away from the cameras, doesn’t have a star entourage, is not known for eloquent speeches, but continues to go about quietly playing tennis matches. Just for the lack of star appeal, I have always wanted her to do well.

For the fact she did not represent the razzmatazz of the tennis world. Instead, she stood for the old school ethics of hard work and talent. Her success would, therefore, confirm to the world that the qualities needed to be a champion were pure sporting skills, and not ‘personality’. But that didn’t happen often enough. I watched her fall short in big match after big match against players who didn’t necessarily play better, but just wore their passion more obviously on their sleeves.

It made me come to the disheartening conclusion that personality was, in fact, an essential ingredient in a tennis champion’s mix today. Maybe, you really needed to blatantly show aggression and passion to convince yourself, your opponent, and the crowd that you had the skills needed to win a tennis Major. And with that depressing thought, I had written off Sam Stosur as a Grand Slam champion.

Serena Williams of the United States questions the call of umpire Eva Asderakia

Now in the US Open final, she was facing Serena Williams, the epitome of ‘personality’ in front of a home crowd. The odds were heavily stacked against Stosur, to put it mildly, and I just hoped she would make a better match of it than Wozniacki had the other day against Serena.

But strangely, the final began with Serena looking extremely sluggish and detached in her play. Stosur, on the other hand, looked sharp and focused, and took the early lead. A couple of breaks later, Stosur suddenly had the first set wrapped up. In spite of this unexpected start, I was not too alarmed yet. Like everyone else, I was waiting for the Serena Moment to happen. She hadn’t been playing well in the match so far, but we knew from so many times in the past, that this is when Serena is at her most dangerous. When she digs into her passion, brings her ‘personality’ to the fore, and comes up with a victory after seemingly running on empty.

And the moment did come early in the second set. Serving at 30-40 in the opening game of the second set, Serena let loose on a powerful forehand, and immediately followed it up with a loud scream of “Come on!” The chair umpire promptly imposed a point penalty for deliberate verbal hindrance. This riled up Serena and she proceeded to embark on a sustained tirade at the chair umpire, including the famous “you are unattractive on the inside” comment. But more significantly, the incident had woken up the sleeping competitor in Serena.

She immediately sent down a couple of bullet serves and glares that indicated she now meant business. But as we waited for the inevitable turning of the tide, incredibly, it never arrived. Serena threw everything she had into the match, and the intensity of the contest suddenly sky-rocketed, but Sam Stosur held her nerve, and returned blow for heavy blow. Breaks were exchanged, and the longer she held on, the more diluted Serena’s attempt at a momentum rush became.

And soon, it was apparent that the worst was past and Stosur was in command of the match again. Personally, the best part about that period of play was that Stosur rode the Serena wave by being herself. There were no out-of-character attempts to pump herself up, no berating her box for an unforced error. She remained Cool Hand Luke right through, and let her racket do the talking, all the way to a memorable maiden Grand Slam title, in a convincing 6-2, 6-3 fashion.

In the couple of years since that night, things have not changed a great deal in the profiles of the two players. The 2011 US Open remains the only Major title for Samantha Stosur, she continues to exasperate with her mental blocks on big occasions, she remains a quiet, low-profile tennis professional, seemingly destined for a legacy in the second-tier of top women’s tennis. Serena Williams, on the other hand, has moved from strength to strength, and cemented her reputation as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. And given the stellar season she has had this year, we might not have even seen the best of her yet.

Their individual career graphs continue to emphasize the importance of mental toughness and a forceful personality on a tennis court today. But it is the rare occasion like the US Open final of 2011 that prevents us from conveniently stereotyping sports men and women. After all, even the most unassuming of players, on her day, could silence an entire stadium on the strength of her game alone.