Serena Williams vs. Samantha Stosur: US Open Meltdown Loss Will Haunt Serena

It hasn’t been the easiest of years for women’s tennis superstar Serena Williams, and her luck didn’t improve any as underdog Samantha Stosur beat her out in the 2011 US Open Finals.

This was a highly-disappointing loss for Williams, and to be honest, it has been a highly-disappointing year.

She won Wimbledon in 2010 and looked to be on track to add on to her impressive 13 total titles, but then everything got derailed.

In a fluke accident, she stepped on a piece of glass in a restaurant. It didn’t seem like a huge injury at the time, but eventually it caused a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

Not only was her career in jeopardy, but her life was on the line as well.

Serena recovered from the clot, but missed three grand slams in the process. She made a triumphant and emotional return to Wimbledon, but lost in the fourth round to Marion Bartoli.

Like I said, it hasn’t been the easiest of years for Serena Williams.

That’s why the 2011 US Open was so important for her! Even though she came in ranked No. 28, most considered her to be the favorite, and she played like the favorite.

She steamrolled through her competition on the way to the final, and she looked dominant doing it.

So much so that I wrote before the match that she would take out her opponent Samantha Stosur in a rout.

It seems I have to eat crow, though, because that is not what happened. It was Stosur who looked dominant in the US Open women’s final, and this will be a loss that haunts Serena for a very long time. Greg Garber of ESPN writes more on the women’s final:

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For a few games, Stosur looked overwhelmed. She was broken back immediately, and for a while, Williams seemed destined to win her 14th Grand Slam singles title.

But the muscular 27-year-old from Brisbane, Australia, playing the match of her life, found an equilibrium. She rallied to beat Williams 6-2, 6-3, and the last point, a ripped forehand cross-court winner, left Williams stumbling.

It was an upset of sweeping proportion, only the third title of Stosur's career.

"I'm still kind of speechless," Stosur said more than an hour later. "I can't believe I won this tournament. I did believe I had a chance to win. Two wins over her in the past made me think it was possible.

Said Serena, "Yeah, she played really, really well. It's good to see I tried my hardest, but she kept hitting winners."

Credit to the champion Stosur, she played her heart out and deserves the win, but there is no question that this was Williams’ championship to win or lose.

This match will be looked back on as a huge disappointment for Serena Williams. In a year filled with hardships, injuries and even life-threatening events, she had the opportunity to go out and show the world what she was made of.

Instead, she crumbled, both emotionally and physically.

She not only lost, but she embarrassed herself and the sport she represents.