Samantha Stosur’s coach has urged his star charge to use her revolutionary forehand to wipe her French Open quarter-final opponent off the court at Roland Garros on Tuesday.
Stosur faces Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova in the first match on centre court (starting 10pm AEST) and coach David Taylor says it’s the perfect match-up for the sixth seed against one of the shortest players on the women’s tour.
Cibulkova stands just 161cm tall and Taylor will instruct Stosur to attack the 15th seed from the get-go – and not to play passively like she did early in her fourth-round win over American teenager Sloane Stephens.
“It’s a good match-up for Sam, with her inside-out forehand, big, heavy kick serve,” Taylor said.
“She’s got the ability early in the rally to get the ball outside that girl’s hitting zone.
“If she’s got good conviction mentally, I think she’ll be right.
“But it’s not easy.”
Stosur found herself in a hole at 5-3 down in the first set against the free-swinging Stephens and Taylor hopes the US Open champion learnt a lesson to back her attacking game.
“She was just playing passive at the beginning and the girl was just teeing off,” he said.
“Sam took the time away from her and the match changed quickly.”
Taylor, who has coached the likes of former world No.1s Martina Hingis, Ana Ivanovic and fellow Australian top-tenner Alicia Molik, said Stosur’s Nadal-like whiplash forehand could change the face of women’s tennis.
“Sam is unique,” he said.
“Has there ever been a heavier forehand in women’s tennis? Honestly, I would have to say no.
“The beauty is that it’s not Sydney or the bush. It’s not taking huge risks to hit winners.
“The regulation rally shot is heavy enough to do damage. Sam is proving that it’s possible for women to hit that type of forehand.
“A lot of great women’s players have basically been backhand players. I think in years to come, as the women start hitting their forehands with those kind of revs, we’ll look back and see that Sam was the one who started it.”
Stosur beat Cibulkova in straight sets in their only previous meeting, on a Stanford hardcourt in 2009.
She also holds a dominant winning record over her two prospective semi-final foes – German 10th seed Angelique Kerber and Italian 21st seed Sara Errani, who clash in Tuesday’s other quarter-final at Roland Garros.
Stosur is five from five against Errani and has won both encounters with Kerber – on clay last month in Stuttgart and in last year’s US Open semi-finals.