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AustralianTimes.co.uk
RUBDOWN Sam Stosur to face world No.1 at US Open
THE
Footy gods smiling for AFL finals By Will Denton If you ever needed proof that there is in fact a footy god, then Round 23, the last of the regular season, had the most divine intervention seen since Jules and Vincent not getting shot in ‘Pulp Fiction’. With the final eight long settled, all that was left to decide was where the finals would be played, against who and whether Jonathon Brown would settle on a Chewbacca or Jason Akermanis costume for Mad Monday. Hawthorn were in a position where all they had to do to claim the minor premiership was beat West Coast. The Eagles were trying like buggery to finish top four, and only victory gave them any chance of doing that. The Hawks won, possibly due to Nic Naitanui down on his ‘how is that even possible’ average. However, the first signal that the gods were pulling some strings was when Hawks hard man Brent Guerra, a player that has been hospitalising others for near on a decade, cruelly tore his hamstring with five minutes to play, putting him out for finals. Unlucky or karma? We will never truly know in this realm. This opened the door for the Pies to slot into fourth, all they had to do was beat the Bombers who had more resemblance to a bunch of battery
hens than a footy team. Unbelievably, Hirdy pulled off a scam Arthur Daly would be proud of and instructed his team to not play like hermit crabs. The plan almost worked had it not been for Travis Cloke getting confused, kicking a bag and be best on ground. This left the mouth-watering equation – if Kangaroos win by plenty, and Freo win by a bit less plenty, we would be having two elimination finals both with genuine home wrecking implications. A Western Derby final, and a Scott (Cats coach) vs. Scott (Roos coach) final. Unfortunately the footy gods were having none of this, so North have to travel to play the Eagles and Freo are off to the MCG against the Cats. Adelaide host Sydney after the Crows made the most of their Sorbent draw (lovely and soft), and getting two go’s at making a Prelim. As for the rest of the games, most teams could almost smell the sleep ins, and probably the biggest indication of a higher plain, when Richmond, a team that invented new ways to lose footy games this year, took on everyone’s 15th team, Port, for one last dance. Jack Riewoldt claimed the Coleman medal for being the most selfish forward in the land, no surprises there, however the Gods had one last laugh when they decided to not let either of them win and dish out the first draw for 2012. Hallelujah.
Samantha Stosur is the irresistible force, Victoria Azarenka the immovable object and they will clash in the quarter-finals of the US Open on Tuesday. Stosur survived a daring challenge from giant-killing British teenager Laura Robson to set up the heavyweight showdown with her Belarusian nemesis and world No.1 with a tense 6-4 6-4 fourth-round triumph. Victory came on Stosur’s ninth match point after the defending champion had to fight back from a service break down in the opening set and then weather a late storm from the free-wheeling Robson in the second. Stosur is now riding an 11-match winning streak in New York and has dropped only 21 games in her first four outings this campaign - but she
has never beaten Azarenka. Or even come close in six encounters. Australia’s big hope is about to face her US Open acid test. “I have not done well against her in the past,” said Stosur, not hiding from the fact. “There’s a few things I’ve learnt over those last few matches. Hopefully I can put all those into play and have a better match - and hopefully a very good one. “I’ll look forward to that opportunity again. Quarter-finals of another slam, you’ve got to give it everything you’ve got.” Stosur says her tough battle with Robson, who attacked the titleholder at every opportunity, was a great dress rehearsal for Azarenka. “A bunch of the girls play like that nowadays. It’s one of these game
styles you have to get used to,” the Queenslander said. “If you’re going to win tournaments like this, you’re going to have to play against someone who plays that way. “Laura tried to attack, stay at the baseline, and especially at the start was really going for it. “It was a really good match and definitely one that I maybe needed going to the quarters.” If Stosur can navigate a way past Azarenka, she will play either French Open champion Maria Sharapova or Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli for a spot in the final. Third-seeded Sharapova overcame a rain delay and third-set deficit to beat fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 6-1 4-6 6-4 in their fourth-round match, while 11th-seeded Bartoli upset Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova 1-6 6-2 6-0. - AAP
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