Mauresmo overcomes strong challenge from Stosur
Wed 18 Oct, 8:29 PM


ZURICH (AFP) - Top seed Amelie Mauresmo overcame a strong challenge from Samantha Stosur to reach the quarter-finals of the Zurich Open, winning 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.

Mauresmo will next face Slovak Daniela Hantuchova, who overcame Ai Sugiyama of Japan 7-6 (9/7), 6-2.

Martina Hingis also advanced, beating Nathalie Dechy of France 6-3, 6-3, and Russia's Maria Kirilenko went through after Tatiana Golovin of France retired with an ankle injury while leading 4-2.

Mauresmo revealed that she is troubled by an ailing right shoulder, a factor that may have led to her hitting five double-faults.

"My shoulder isn't feeling great," Mauresmo reported Wednesday. "It's difficult and frustrating not being able to play at 100 percent, but I made the choice to play.

"I'm not playing my best tennis but I'm trying to do the best I can on the court considering the circumstances. It is frustrating, but it's a different experience and you work on these things mentally and just deal with it."



The plucky Australian fired 11 aces to keep Mauresmo at bay, and she refused to allow the world number one to dominate at any stage.

Mauresmo had not conceded a set in their previous four meetings, and did not even give up a game when they met in Miami earlier this year. But she struggled to get the upper hand on this occasion.



The match might have been easier for Mauresmo if she had been able to take advantage of two break points in the first game. But Stosur saved the first with an ace and the second with another powerful serve that forced Mauresmo to net her return.

Stosur then held two break points of her own when leading 3-2, but Mauresmo held and then went on to edge the tiebreak 7-4.

Mauresmo appeared more comfortable after she had won the first set, but Stosur continued to serve well and compete strongly in the rallies.

Only one break of serve decided the outcome of the set, when Mauresmo forced a backhand error to lead 4-2.

"She served great, big first serves, and there was nothing really I could do," said Mauresmo of the break point opportunities she missed in the first game.

"In fact, she gave me a lot of trouble on her service games. She served very well and until the middle of the second set I only had a few opportunities on her serve and she was able to come up with some heavy first serves. It was not easy and I'm just happy to go through."

Hingis rallied strongly, pulled Dechy around the court and made less unforced errors than her opponent to line up a possible quarter-final clash with Roland Garros runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova.

After clinching the first set when Dechy dumped a smash into the net, the Swiss fifth seed quickly earned a 5-0 lead but then had trouble closing out the match.

She hit two double-faults as she served at 5-1, was unable to win two match points on Dechy's serve at 5-2, and finally claimed the match after holding off a further break point in the final game.

"I probably had a lapse for one or two games where I could close it out, but for an opponent it was too far to go after 5-0 so sooner or later I had to make it," said Hingis.

"I felt like there was still more in me that I could give, and every time I needed it I could definitely put more force into the shots and go on the aggressive side and attack more."

Golovin was leading 4-1 and was down 0-30 when she fell and injured her right ankle, and after 12 minutes of examination and strapping she attempted to continue.

But she barely moved for the next two points, and after conceding the game decided she had no choice but to retire.