Skip to content

Robson's run over

Image: Laura Robson: put up a brave fight in the second set before eventually being knocked out

Reigning champion Sam Stosur ended Laura Robson's fairytale run at the US Open with a 6-4 6-4 victory.

Latest Tennis Stories

British number three beaten in straight sets on Louis Armstrong

Reigning champion Sam Stosur put an end to Laura Robson's fairytale run at the US Open with a 6-4 6-4 victory in their fourth-round meeting. Having already stunned seeds Kim Clijsters and Li Na in her previous two matches, hopes were high that Robson could knock out a third grand slam champion at Flushing Meadows. However the British number three was unable to hit the high notes again when facing such an experienced opponent on Louis Armstrong. The biggest problem for Stosur came when she was attempting to get over the finishing line, squandering no fewer than eight match points before finally putting Robson away after one hour and 38 minutes.

Superb serving

Up until the closing stages the Australian had been superb, mixing up her service game superbly to keep her rival thinking at all times. Robson started brightly enough, breaking in the third game, but she was unable to get into enough lengthy rallies to make her power tell. She let slip a 40-15 lead in the very next game and then let break point opportunities go begging in the ninth, chances that she could ill-afford to let pass her by. Sure enough, Stosur showed how it should be done, taking the opening set in the 10th game at the third opportunity. Again Robson couldn't cash in when on top at the start of the third, wasting three break points as she struggled to get her returns in. When she lost her next service game to fall 3-1 behind, the writing seemed to be on the wall. Stosur broke again to lead 5-2 but then suffered an attack of the jitters, five times seeing match points come and go in an eighth game that Robson eventually held after some titanic rallies between the pair. The shock winner over Serena Williams in last year's final let slip two more match points in the next game, the Brit saving the second of them with a blistering return. But the teenager still had to hold to level at 5-5, though, and eventually there was only so many times she could escape when on the brink; a desperate forehand down the line flew long ended her tournament.
Disapppointed
Although Robson had already far exceeded expectations, she could not help but be downcast, saying: "I'm definitely disappointed. "I felt like I didn't play as well as I did in my last three matches. I just hit too many unforced errors. "Sam is someone who makes you feel like you're playing bad because she hits it with so much spin, so it's hard to get her serve back sometimes. "Her serve is really special. I've never played anyone with a serve like hers before, so it does take you a couple of games to get used to. "I just felt like I had a lot of opportunities that I didn't take. But it's been a good tournament for me."

Around Sky