WTA US Open 2011 Preview: Samantha Stosur vs. Maria Kirilenko

Samantha Stosur has a tricky fourth round clash ahead of her on Sunday at the U.S Open against Maria Kirilenko.

Samantha Stosur was engaged in a record breaking third round clash against Nadia Petrova this week at the U.S Open, where the pairing took part in the longest ever match in the history of the women’s singles draw. The No. 9 seed somehow managed to emerge with a 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5 victory after 3 hours and 16 minutes of high quality tennis.

Stosur will have no time to sit back and reflect on this win though, as she’s scheduled to take on Maria Kirilenko on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals. Kirilenko got through her third round contest against Christina McHale with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. McHale has been showing a lot of promise recently, and Kirilenko will be pleased to have beaten her in straight sets.

Stosur holds a 3-2 head to head record against Kirilenko prior to this match, and it looks like we could be in for a close contest on Sunday. Stosur is arguably the favourite, but her marathon matchup with Petrova may have slowed her down.