British teen Laura Robson ousted Chinese ninth seed Li Na from the US Open yesterday to book a fourth-round showdown against defending champion Samantha Stosur at the year’s last Grand Slam event.
Robson, an 18-year-old left-hander who ended the career of three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters with a second-round triumph, took her first victory over a top-10 foe by downing 2011 French Open winner Li 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2.
“It was really tough,” Robson said.
Australian seventh-seed Stosur, who has not won a title since lifting the US Open trophy last year, reached the fourth round with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 victory over US 31st seed Varvara Lepchenko.
“She’s already had two very good wins and she’s full of confidence,” Stosur said. “I’m going have to be ready to play my best game if I’m going to beat her.
“It can be a very tricky match. She’s got nothing to lose and she has had two of the biggest wins of her career.”
Robson, who was born in Australia but moved to Britain at age six, became the first British woman in the fourth round of a Grand Slam since Sam Smith at Wimbledon in 1998 and the first in the Open’s last 16 since Jo Durie in 1991.
Robson, the youngest player in the world top 100 at 89th, ensured this would be Li’s first season since 2008 not to reach the last eight at any Grand Slam tournament.
Lepchenko, who became a US citizen a year ago, has still never beaten a top-10 player. She was trying to match her best Grand Slam result, this year’s fourth-round French Open run.
After fighting to 5-5 in the tie-breaker, Lepchenko sent a lob and a backhand wide to surrender the opening set after 59 minutes. Stosur broke in the third and fifth games of the second set and held to finish in 88 minutes.
“As the match went on I got a little more comfortable and relaxed a little bit more,” Stosur said. “In the first set I felt like I served really well. That’s how I was able to get into those games in the second set.”
Ferrer through
Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer moved into the third round by ousting Dutch qualifier Igor Sijsling 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (14/12).
Ferrer, a 2007 US Open semi-finalist in his best Grand Slam run, battled through five match points and denied the Dutchman on three set points in the tie-break before Sijsling netted a forehand to end it after two hours and seven minutes.
French 11th seed Marion Bartoli also advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over compatriot Kristina Mladenovic.
Other results: (Men) – Djokovic bt Dutra Silva 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. (Women) Kvitova bt Parmentier 6-4, 6-4.