Sydney, Hobart: Stosur cannot play in Australia

Sydney:

KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM (JPN) D CASEY DELLACQUA (AUS) | 6 - 4 | 6 - 1 |
ROBERTA VINCI (ITA) D [8] NADIA PETROVA (RUS) | 7 - 5 | 7 - 5 |
JELENA JANKOVIC (SRB) D TAMIRA PASZEK (AUT) | 6 - 2 | 7 - 6 (5) |
GALINA VOSKOBOEVA (KAZ) D YANINA WICKMAYER (BEL) | 3 - 6 | 7 - 6 (5) | 6 - 2 |
[3] SARA ERRANI (ITA) D KAROLINA PLISKOVA (CZE) | 6 - 1 | 6 - 3 |
JIE ZHENG (CHN) D [6] SAMANTHA STOSUR (AUS) | 6 - 3 | 6 (7) - 7 | 6 - 4 |
MADISON KEYS (USA) D LUCIE SAFAROVA (CZE) | 6 - 2 | 6 - 1 |
AYUMI MORITA (JPN) D DANIELA HANTUCHOVA (SVK) | 1 - 6 | 6 - 3 | 6 - 3 |
[4] NA LI (CHN) D CHRISTINA MCHALE (USA) | 7 - 6 (2) | 7 - 5 |
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (RUS) D JULIA GOERGES (GER) | 3 - 6 | 6 - 3 | 6 - 3 |

Hobart:

SHUAI PENG (CHN) D [1] SU-WEI HSIEH (TPE) | 6 - 2 | 6 - 7 (7) | 7 - 6 (4) |
MONICA NICULESCU (ROU) D MANDY MINELLA (LUX) | 6 - 4 | 6 - 3 |
KIRSTEN FLIPKENS (BEL) D [6] FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE (ITA) | 2 - 6 | 6 - 3 | 7 - 6 (3) |
[2] SORANA CIRSTEA (ROU) D NINA BRATCHIKOVA (RUS) | 3 - 6 | 7 - 5 | 6 - 2 |
LAUREN DAVIS (USA) D BOJANA BOBUSIC (AUS) | 1 - 6 | 6 - 2 | 7 - 6 (5) |
[4] YAROSLAVA SHVEDOVA (KAZ) D LOURDES DOMINGUEZ LINO (ESP) | 6 - 4 | 6 - 1 |
ELENA VESNINA (RUS) D SILVIA SOLER-ESPINOSA (ESP) | 6 - 2 | 6 - 4 |
JARMILA GAJDOSOVA (AUS) D ROMINA OPRANDI (SUI) | 6 - 4 | 7 - 5 |
[9] MONA BARTHEL (GER) D ASHLEIGH BARTY (AUS) | 2 - 6 | 6 - 0 | 6 - 1 |
CHANELLE SCHEEPERS (RSA) D ALIZE CORNET (FRA) | 6 - 1 | 6 - 2 |
TSVETANA PIRONKOVA (BUL) D IRINA-CAMELIA BEGU (ROU) | 6 - 3 | 6 - 4 |
SIMONA HALEP (ROU) D LARA ARRUABARRENA-VECI (ESP) | 6 - 3 | 6 - 2 |

Upset of the day:

JIE ZHENG (CHN) D [6] SAMANTHA STOSUR (AUS) | 6 - 3 | 6 (7) - 7 | 6 - 4 | 

Samantha Stosur suffers another early exit again in Australia. Sounds familiar? It's because Samantha has won a grand total of one match in her last 2 years in Australia. ONE! Ever since winning her maiden grand slam, the pressure on her to lift the Australian Open trophy has been tremendous and she obviously cannot take the burden. I guess this is her way of saying to the Aussie fans, don't bank on me! Winning Grand Slams can be a blessing or a curse. Azarenka won her first slam and went on to dominate the tour while flukes like Ana Ivanovic and Samantha Stosur couldn't handle the pressure suddenly showered upon them and crumbled like a cheap tent. It is sad as Samantha is a pleasant girl, just not too mentally tough to take on the burden.

AYUMI MORITA (JPN) D DANIELA HANTUCHOVA (SVK) | 1 - 6 | 6 - 3 | 6 - 3 | 

Ever since defeating Sara Errani in a vintage display of what she can do, Daniela Hantuchova disappeared again, losing to Lesia Tsurenko and Ayumi Morita this week. This girl needs to get her brain checked because I have never seen a player's game fluctuate that much. How can she be so good and so bad within 24 hours? Add this to the ever growing number of matches that she's supposed to win but didn't. Another talent wasted by her fragile mind.

SHUAI PENG (CHN) D [1] SU-WEI HSIEH (TPE) | 6 - 2 | 6 - 7 (7) | 7 - 6 (4) | 

The top seed topples in the first round in a tight 3 setter. Peng ousted Hsieh, who is under an injury cloud last week. Peng was up 6-2 and 5-2 before Hsieh staged her comeback, saving 3 match points with winners of her own. If only the Taiwanese can play like how she played during the match points throughout the match. Peng must be exhausted though, flying in from Shenzhen after her semifinal appearance a few days ago and after this marathon match. Her quest for her first title will only get tougher against Niculescu in her next round.