Slammin' Sam

Well, well, well. For all my Zen, the tournament seemed a little empty to me with Federer out. But Samantha Stosur, you have given me reason to get right back into this Roland Garros shenanigan.

It's not exactly news that I'm not the most parochial tennis fan ever - I like to see the Aussies do well, don't get me wrong, but I'm a fan of individual rather than nation. So my fandom of Sam Stosur is not just because we share a country of origin, but because hot DAMN I love that girl's game.

I'm not, obviously, a massive fan of her chokiness, and if she had lost this match after serving for it at a set and 5-3, I don't know if she could ever have forgiven herself. But in a strange way, I think it did her more good beating a player like Serena, of notorious mental toughness, in a tight third set. That took more guts and nerves and chutzpah than serving out a routine straight sets victory ever could. Not that I wouldn't have liked to see her serve it out... but knowing that she can hang tight and hang tough with the toughest of players deep in the third, in the disadvantaged position of serving second - that is something something SOMETHING.

It was a brilliant first set and a half from Stosur. Not Serena's greatest match at all, but what is so important is that Sam capitalised. And if she can beat Henin and Serena back to back, there is nothing she can't do.

Whoever wins out of Jankovic and Stosur will win the tournament, I think. And there is absolutely no reason that in a few days, we couldn't say Sam Stosur, Roland Garros champion. That girl has every chance in the world.