TENNIS: Samantha Stosur has joined the Aussie women’s exit from the Open with a straight sets loss to big-serving American Coco Vandeweghe.
Stosur’s run at Melbourne Park ended in the same fashion as Casey Dellacqua and Ajla Tomljanovic, who were also second-round losers.
She fell to Vandeweghe 6-4 6-4, leaving no local hopes standing in the women’s singles.
Dellacqua went down to Madison Keys while Brisbane-based import Tomljanovic bowed out of the Open earlier on Thursday with 6-1 7-6 (7-1) loss to another American Varvara Lepchenko.
Vandeweghe lived up to her billing as one of the best servers in the women’s game, with 20th seed Stosur unable to break her.
The world No.37 sent down 11 aces with her serve reaching 195km/h.
It continued a run of disappointments for the Queenslander at the Open with her best result in six years a fourth-round showing in 2010.
The former US Open champion didn’t enter the tournament in sparkling form after losing in the first round in Brisbane and second round in Sydney.
Vandeweghe will next take on another American in Madison Brengle.
It’s her first ever appearance in a grand slam third round.
While a shattered Lleyton Hewitt doesn’t know whether he will return for a 20th appearance after another early exit from the Australian Open.
Hewitt looked on course for a third-round berth with a vintage display in the opening two sets of his clash with German Benjamin Becker.
But his game fell apart in the final three sets to remind the 33-year-old that it is 2015 and not 2005, when he reached the Open final in his best ever result.
It has been fairly slim pickings since with just three round-four appearances in 10 years.
Hewitt hasn’t made a decision on whether he will play at Melbourne Park for a 20th consecutive year or retire.
“I haven’t been kidding anyone, really I don’t know,” Hewitt said.
“I’ve just tried to focus on what I’ve wanted to do, to get the best out of myself this year.
“I’ll sit back and assess everything after this tournament.”
Becker, also 33, famously ended Andre Agassi’s glittering career at the 2006 US Open.
Post match Becker joked he hoped Hewitt would return so he wasn’t always asked about it, as he was with Agassi.
Becker left the court between the second and third sets when his fortunes turned.
“I kicked the door, I yelled out and let some steam go and when I came back I felt like a new player,” he said.
Becker, the world No.41, is on target for a potential showdown with world No.1 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
He will next face Canadian Milos Raonic, who had a straight sets win over American Donald Young.
Hewitt could do no wrong in the first two sets but, as his first serve faltered and he tightened, Becker grew in confidence.
He said the transition from day to night meant that the ball was playing much heavier as the match went on which didn’t suit his game from the back of the court.
“He definitely raised his level,” Hewitt said.
“The first two sets I felt like I was dictating play the whole time.
“He tightened up some of his errors in the third set and started serving a lot better.
“It was obviously frustrating because I was playing so well for the first two sets.”
Becker had never won a five-set match in his long career but looked sharp as he broke Hewitt early and took a 3-1 lead in the final set from which the Australian was unable to recover.
Day 5 schedule
Australia is guaranteed a third round appearance, with countrymen Bernard Tomic and Sam Groth set to face off in the night session.
While No.1 ranked Australian Nick Kyrgios will take on world No.75 Malek Jaziri from Tunisia after 7pm.
AAP/AOC
