Australia’s diabolical Wimbledon is complete with the country’s last singles hope crashing out on day three.
Far from restoring Australia’s battered tennis reputation, US Open champion Samantha Stosur compounded the misery with a mistake-riddled second-round loss to world No.72 Arantxa Rus.
Stosur’s 6-2 0-6 6-4 defeat rounded out Australia’s worst grand slam performance in the 45-year open era – and almost certainly the worst in 136 years of major championships.
With Bernard Tomic, Lleyton Hewitt, Matt Ebden and Marinko Matosevic all failing to win a match, Australia doesn’t have a representative in the men’s second round at the All England Club for the first time since 1938.
And with Stosur’s departure following the exits from the women’s singles of Anastasia Rodionova, Jarmila Gajdosova, Casey Dellacqua and Ashleigh Barty, officials were unable to determine whether this was the first time ever that no Australian made the third round at a grand slam.
But it is certainly the first time it has happened in 45 years of professional tennis.
Stosur’s match was almost a carbon copy of her sorry French Open semi-final loss earlier this month to Italian Sara Errani.
In Paris, when Stosur was also a hot favourite, the Australian surrendered the opening set, charged back to win the second 6-1 but fell behind 3-0 in the third – as she did on Wednesday.
The world No.5 also fought back to to have games on serve at 3-2 to Rus in the decider on Wednesday, only to again stumble at the death.
Despite her underdog status, Rus didn’t arrive at London’s SW19 without credentials.
The 21-year-old won the 2008 Australian Open junior crown, reached the last 16 at Roland Garros three weeks ago and took out four-times major winner Kim Clijsters in Paris last year.
But early on against Stosur, Rus looked out of her depth.
The last Aussie standing seemed on a mission on showcourt one, winning 10 of the first 11 points to quickly gain the first break of the match in the second game.
But she suddenly lost her way, committing a run of unforced errors to allow Rus to reel off six straight games from 2-0 down to take the opening set in 38 minutes.
Stosur landed only nine of 22 first serves in the set, hit three double-faults and looked headed for the exit gates.
Playing more controlled tennis, Stosur turned the match around with a dominant second set.
The fifth seed conceded only seven points in the entire set to be back on level terms.
But unforced errors began to flow off Stosur’s racquet once more in the third set, enabling Rus to profit on her third match point after one hour and 49 minutes.
