Stosur advancing with mental toughness

Samantha Stosur has the shoulders of an Olympic swimmer, the arms of a world-class gymnast, the legs of a champion cyclist. She cuts a very athletic figure on the courts of the National Tennis Center.

She also has cut a swath through the first four rounds of the U.S. Open, and now meets the No. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva in a quarterfinal scheduled for Wednesday. The 27-year-old Australian is the No. 9 seed and has become a relative late bloomer as a contender in the Slams after spending the early part of her career enjoying success in doubles.

She has come through two difficult matches to reach the quarters. In the third round it was an exhausting 7-6, 6-7, 7-5 win over Nadia Petrova. Against Maria Kirilenko on Sunday she overcame the disappointment of losing a second-set tiebreaker to win, 6-3, in the third. The tiebreaker score of 17-15 was the longest in women's Grand Slam history.

Her physical prowess never has been doubted, but her mental strength often has been questioned, most particularly by herself. Stosur said of the tiebreaker loss to Kirilenko, "I didn't find it too difficult to stay mentally strong . . . I think I was able to bounce back really well. That's probably the most pleasing thing for me to get out of that match, is just to be able to come back from that, play well, get that lead and really hold on to it."

Getting through two tough matches was even more rewarding. "Absolutely I am proud of myself for getting through these two matches," Stosur said. "I haven't always been known for my competitiveness out there, to really fight hard."

She now comes up against an opponent whom she has ruled. Stosur has played Zvonareva nine times, winning the last seven, including two this year.

"It's a nice record to have against someone, but at the end of the day now we're playing in a Grand Slam,'' she said, "and I can't remember the last time we played in the Grand Slam."

That would be 2004 at Wimbledon, the last time Zvonareva beat her.

"You can't think because you won the last seven you're going to win the eighth without playing good tennis," Stosur said.