Coco unstoppable ousting Stosur

Samantha Stosur has unfairly had a huge weight of expectation of success at Melbourne Park over the years, simply because she is Australian and the only Aussie female in the top ten in the world rankings.

Yes she won a US Open and has enjoyed regular success, but the pressure placed on one person to carry our nations hopes, while a fact of life, doesn't make it right.  This tournament just hasn't worked for Stosur and we need to accept that - she is suited more to Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows.

Her chances against American Coco Vandeweghe in the second round would depend on her serving consistency and forehand - no surprise there.  However she needed to return well and not just allow the big serving of her opponent to overwhelm.  The edge in experience at this level would be invaluable for Samantha over Coco, who with a name like that would be just at home riding a board at Bells Beach.

Stosur removed a few cobwebs in the first game which went to deuce three times and included a break point but finally the Australian led 1-0.
When Coco stepped up to the plate it was much simpler and a few big serves later scores were level.

At 2-2 Samantha struck trouble.  After 30-0 with two sharp forcing shots producing errant replies, Stosur's strengths gave her heartache with two forehand disasters topped off with a double fault to lose the game and fall behind a break, not ideal against an opponent already serving big and accurately.

The single break proved sufficient and Vandeweghe took the first set 6-4, winning an extraordinary 20 points from her 25 serves.  Samantha could only manage 21 from 35, most worrying the 13 from 21 of her first serves.

The second set was almost a carbon copy of the first with the American serve still dominant and her ground strokes more than a match for Stosur, who was managing to be more effective on serve but only in terms of points, not games.
Again the fifth game was ground zero and Coco broke the Queenslander, this time through attacking tennis forcing errors rather than loose shots from Stosur.

The set was not bad in absolute terms for Stosur - she was just blasted into submission by an inspired player at the very top of her form.

Coco Vanderweghe defeated Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-4 and reached the third round of a major for the first time in her career.