Who would have thought it? Sam Stosur in the semifinals

Samantha Stosur has always had a variety of really useful tennis skills, like a great first serve, great second serve, strong forehand, heavy topspin, and a wonderful sense of touch at the net. Her fans yell "Smash 'em, Sam!" when she plays. But Stosur has also always had--in singles, that is--a big deficit: She has tended to come apart mentally at big moments.

Stosur had to stay away from the tour for several months because of a really bad case of Lyme Disease, which led to a case of viral meningitis. She returned in the spring of 2008, and began trying to put her career back together. She was supposed to play doubles with Rennae Stubbs during the Australian season only, and then concentrate on singles. The pairing with Stubbs has continued, however, and Stosur's French Open results indicate that her singles game has gone to another level.

In her semifinal match against Sorana Cirstea, the player who took out Jelena Jankovic, Stosur hit twice as many winners as her opponent, did a great job at the net, and had a lot of success with her first serve. Her next task, however, will be much tougher--she plays Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals.