MELBOURNE, Australia — Samantha Stosur, the reigning United States Open champion, became the highest seed to fall from the Australian Open on Tuesday, losing her first-round match to Sorana Cirstea of Romania, 7-6 (2), 6-3, before a stunned partisan crowd at Rod Laver Arena.
Stosur, U.S. Open Champion, Topples Out in Melbourne
Greg Wood/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Samantha Stosur, the United States Open champion, lost to Sorana Cirstea of Romania.
By BEN ROTHENBERG
Published: January 17, 2012
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Stosur, an Australian, was seeded sixth.
“Probably the whole country hates me right now,” Cirstea said with a laugh during her on-court interview after the victory.
Stosur, who won her first Grand Slam singles title at the United States Open in September, had trouble finding any rhythm on her ground strokes throughout the match, committing 33 unforced errors to only 12 winners. The streaky, 59th-ranked Cirstea controlled rallies throughout the match with her flat, powerful forehand, closing points at the net with deft volleys.
Stosur had been placed under enormous pressure to do well at Melbourne in the months leading to the tournament, and she seemed to have struggled under the added expectations. She had lost early at two warmup tournaments, falling in the second round in Brisbane and the first in Sydney.
Cirstea needed four match points in the final game to seal the victory, finishing the upset with a strong return that prompted a Stosur forehand to float long.
