A sadly familiar Australian Open fate has befallen Samantha Stosur, who lost control of her first-round match with Monica Puig to lose in three sets.
Stosur was a set and a break up against the reigning Olympic champion - even holding a match point in the second-set tiebreak - before falling 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in two hours and 20 minutes on Monday.
The defeat was her third successive first-round loss at her home grand slam, continuing her Melbourne Park jinx.
"For whatever reason, it just won't happen for me," a crestfallen Stosur said after the match.
"I was as close as you can get without winning."
For the match's first hour, Stosur was a picture of collectedness, serving strongly and working Puig over with her heavy topspin game.
Stosur's serve was a key difference, hitting 13 aces and firing plenty more that Puig found unreturnable.
It wasn't until the eighth game of the second set that Stosur gave up her first break points - but she was broken - and unravelled.
A five-deuce game at 5-5 was another turning point.
Puig denied Stosur several break points to hold serve before a tight second-set tiebreak.
The 33-year-old overcame an early mini-break to have a match point at 6-5, but played too tentatively, allowing Puig to level the match.
Stosur mistimed a baseline forehand terribly to hand Puig a break and a third-set advantage, before holding serve to love in a timely confidence boost at 5-3.
But the former US Open champion couldn't find the break to stay alive, as Puig held firm to book a second-round date with big-hitting Estonian Kaia Kanepi.
"I'm very, very sorry," Puig said to the parochial crowd after the match.
"It was an incredible fight ... I want to congratulate the crowd for being such a great sport to Sam. She's an amazing person.
"I admire her so much. When she won her first grand slam I was rooting for her the whole way."
Stosur won more points over the match - 99 to 98 - but didn't have the composure in the key moments.
Stosur left a big weapon - her topspin backhand - in the locker during her match point, choosing instead to hit slices that Puig had found difficult to deal with.
"I'd be in the second round if I won one more point," Stosur lamented.
"I've gone over match point about a hundred times already.
"Should I have gone for a bit more? Should I have been a bit more aggressive?
"In the moment, that's what I chose to do. I've got to stand by that."
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