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Built pressure on Elena until break point: Stosur

Updated on: 18 June,2010 07:32 AM IST |
AFP |

French Open finalist Samantha Stosur ended the British dream at the Eastbourne International yesterday with a comeback 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-0 quarter-final win over Elena Baltacha.

French Open finalist Samantha Stosur ended the British dream at the Eastbourne International yesterday with a comeback 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-0 quarter-final win over Elena Baltacha.

Baltacha was the first woman from the host nation to play in the last-eight of the pre-Wimbledon event since Jo Durie in 1983.

Stosur came up short in the tie-breaker against Baltacha, 27, which decided the lengthy opening set. The Aussie lifted her level to swamp the 62nd-ranked Briton as they met for the first time since 2004 in Birmingham.
Stosur moved into her fifth semi-final of the season and second at Eastbourne after 2008.

"Once I got the break in the second set, it all opened up," said Stosur.

"I started serving better and she felt under more pressure. It just built and built and built. Midway through the third I was fully in control."

But fifth seed Kim Clijsters was beaten as unseeded Victoria Azarenka claimed her fourth win this season over a Top ten player 7-6 (8/6), 6-4. "I was up 4-2 in the second set but a couple of double faults and some good returns from her pushed me back," said Clijsters. "I wasn't able to dictate and she took risks on her second serve. I'm still happy with the first two matches here."

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