Samantha Stosur Falls At The First Hurdle

Samantha Stosur was the big name to fall in the women's draw on the second day of the Australian Open as she crashed out in straight sets to Sorana Cirstea.

Stosur was triumphant at Flushing Meadows in September but could not replicate that form at her home Grand Slam.

The opening set went to tie break but it was Cirstea who picked up the pace as she took it 7-2.

The pair traded service breaks at the beginning of the second but it was Cirstea who made her move first as she broke through again in the fifth game.

Stosur's game was littered with errors and her serve was not the reliable shot that we have come to expect.

She couldn't get back on level terms with Cirstea and the Romanian held her nerve to close out the match 7-6 (7-2) 6-3.

Speaking to the WTA after the match Stosur said: "Obviously I'm extremely disappointed. There's not any other word for it but total disappointment.

"Sorana hung in there and kept going for it and eventually got better and better. I think she played a very, very good match.

"You have to give credit where credit's due. But I think maybe I didn't step up."

However there were no such problems for former world number one Maria Sharapova as she needed less than an hour to dispatch Gisela Dulko 6-0 6-1.

There was a similarly convincing victory for Petra Kvitova, who is looking to add to the Wimbledon title she won last year, as she saw off Vera Dushevina 6-2 6-0.

And in the early hours of Tuesday morning Serena Williams booked her spot in the second round with a 6-3 6-2 win over Paszek.

Williams, who was kept waiting because of Hewitt's lengthy match, picked up an ankle injury earlier this month and despite heavy taping looked to be moving well.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw