Sam Stosur

Australian Sam Stosur became the 2011 Women’s Singles US Open Champion US when she defeated Serena Williams in the final to claim her maiden singles grand slam title at the age of 27.

Prior to her US singles victory, she had won Two Grand Slam doubles titles (US Open and Roland Garros) and Two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (Australian and Wimbledon) and was ranked No.1 in the world in doubles in 2006.

Since 2006, Sam has consistently been ranked Australia’s No. 1 female player and in 2010 she entered the top 10 rankings of singles women players in the world.

She is renowned for her serve, which is now considered one of the best on the women’s tour.

More about Sam Stosur:

Sam Stosur began playing tennis as an 8-year-old in Adelaide and at the age of 13, she went overseas to compete at the World Youth Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. At 14 she joined the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) under Geoff Masters and in 2001, when she was 16, Sam joined the Australian Institute of Sport’s tennis program.

Sam’s first big break came at Australian Open 2006 when she reached the fourth round – her best singles result at a Grand Slam tournament up until that point. Solid results took her to a then career-high No.27 in January 2007.

While Sam was busily working her way up the singles rankings, she was nearing the top in doubles. She became world No.1 in February 2006 after claiming a series of titles with doubles partner Lisa Raymond. The Australian-American duo won the US Open in 2005, were runners-up at Australian Open 2006 and won the French Open in 2006.

In 2007, this consistently successful pair won five titles and made it to the semis at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. Sam won her maiden Grand Slam mixed doubles crown at the Australian Open in 2005 with fellow Queenslander Scott Draper and her second at Wimbledon 2008 with Bob Bryan.

It was during Wimbledon 2007 that Sam’s health started to go downhill, just as her career was on the up. She battled through the pain, but after falling in the first round of the US Open, she put an end to her season. In October doctors were finally able to give her a reason for the pain and lethargy she had been feeling since Wimbledon – she had Lyme disease. Sam also contracted viral meningitis, further shelving her plans to push for a place among the world’s elite.

Sam Stosur’s return to competition came in April 2008 at an ITF event in Dothan, where she made the semifinals. In September her comeback was complete when she made it to the final of the WTA event in Seoul.

But it was in 2009 when Sam truly came into her own in the singles arena with a third-round appearance at the Australian Open, a semifinals berth at the French Open and her maiden singles title in Osaka. Her year-end ranking of No.13 was another career high for the Queenslander.

On the doubles court, Sam paired with Fed Cup teammate Rennae Stubbs to make the final at Wimbledon, Eastbourne and Toronto, the semis at the US Open, Dubai, Madrid and the Tour Championships in Qatar, and the quarters at Miami.

In 2010 Sam concentrated on singles, with the change bringing almost immediate success. A fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open was just the beginning.

Sam made it to the semis at Indian Wells and the quarters in Miami before triumphing in Charleston to add a second WTA singles title to her collection. She was a finalist at her next event in Stuttgart and a quarterfinalist in Madrid as she prepared for Roland Garros.

It was on the clay that Sam clipped the wings of three world No.1s on her way to the French Open final where she was beaten by Italian Francesca Schiavone. Not long after, she rose to No.5 (July 2010) to post her latest career-high ranking.

Sam was awarded the WTA’s Diamond ACES Award for 2010, recognising her tireless efforts in promoting tennis to fans, media, and local communities. The same year, a court was named in her honour at Southport’s Queens Park Tennis Centre, Queensland.

She has been a member of the Optus Australian Fed Cup team since 2003 and is coached by the team’s captain, David Taylor.

In her downtime, Sam likes going to the beach, hanging out with friends, surfing and listening to music.

Career highlights:

• Australia’s No.1 ranked female tennis player (2006, 2007, 2009-2011)
• Ranked No.1 in the world in doubles in 2006
• Highest WTA Tour ranking No.4 (February 2011)
• Current WTA ranking No.7 (September 2011)
• 2011 US Open Singles Champion, Flushing Meadows, USA
• 2010 Family Circle Cup Singles Champion, Charleston, USA
• 2009 HP Open International Singles Champion, Osaka, Japan
• Singles semifinalist at the French Open 2009 and finalist at the French Open 2010
• Two Grand Slam doubles titles (US Open and Roland Garros)
• Two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (Australian and Wimbledon)
• Australian Fed Cup representative 2003 to present
• Australian Olympian 2004 and 2008