Stosur wins tennis player of the year award

MELBOURNE (AFP) –

Samantha Stosur of Australia hits a return shot against Nadia Petrova of Russia during their women’s singles semi-final match at the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament in Tokyo in September. Stosur on Monday received the award for Australia’s most outstanding player of the year for a third consecutive year at the Australian Tennis Awards in Melbourne, organisers said.

Tennis star Samantha Stosur on Monday received the award for Australia’s most outstanding player of the year for a third consecutive year at the Australian Tennis Awards in Melbourne, organisers said.

The former US Open champion won the prestigious Newcombe Medal, defeating Australia’s top-ranked male player Marinko Matosevic, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt and 2011 French Open mixed doubles champion Casey Dellacqua.

The 28-year-old Stosur, currently ranked ninth in the WTA standings, is the first Australian woman since Wendy Turnbull to finish in the top 10 in the world three years running.