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Stosur heads into Clijsters showdown
French Open finalist Samantha Stosur will have to give Kim Clijsters the recovery edge heading into their women's quarterfinal at the US Open.
Australian Stosur laboured until a record 1:37 am on Monday morning to beat Elena Dementieva, saving four match points in the three-set win which ended as the latest women's match ever played in late-night New York.
That circumstance came about as women were scheduled for the second night match for the second night in succession Sunday, a first for the event which likes its late-night thrillers.
Stosur, seeded fifth, will be faced with trying to end the 18-match win streak of Clijsters at Flushing Meadows. The Belgian mother lifted her first title at the event in 2005, retired from the game and then returned last year and won that edition.
Stosur was not particularly pleased with the traditional oddball scheduling for which the American event is infamous. Both men's semifinals are played on Saturday with the final barely 24 hours later on Sunday, a calendar which flies in the face of the more regular order at the other three majors.
"That's unfortunately the way it is. Someone is going to come off second best getting that short straw with the second night match," said the Aussie, adding: "It was a great atmosphere out there. You can't fault that either, so I guess there's good and bad things to it."
Stosur said she will have to concede Clijsters "a good 14 hours head start recovery on me.
"She played first (Sunday). I played last. There's not much bigger difference than that. I guess you've got to do what you can do and recover as best as I can.
"I'll be back and play again. It's just one of those things.
"I don't even know if I'll practise. But come in here, just relax, maybe go to the physio."
Stosur is riding a career breakthrough in New York, having never
been past the second round in six previous appearances.
