TENNIS in DEPTH.

JOHN Newcombe believes Samantha Stosur could give the Australian Open ”a shake” in what he rates as one of the most open women’s fields in years.

Stosur boasts a career-high ranking of 13 following a breakthrough year in 2009. The Queenslander backed up her French Open semi-final appearance with a first WTA tournament win in Tokyo.

No Australian, male or female, has won the national championship since an unseeded Chris O’Neil scored a surprise win in 1978. Newcombe believes Stosur is Australia’s best chance of finally breaking the drought.

”Sam is the only one that has shown during the year that she can do well here,” Newcombe said. ”That’s a big part of the equation, her self-belief.

”She could give it a shake. It’s pretty open there in the ladies at the moment. She might be able to snake her way through. She knows she can compete with the very best, so with the home crowd, you never know.”

Stosur’s career flatlined while she battled a debilitating bout of lyme disease, but she battled back and spoke of a new-found confidence after lifting her ranking to the cusp of the top 10.

”I’m close to top 10 now – anyone up around that mark has a chance of winning [the Australian Open],” Stosur said during the week.

The 25-year-old will go into the year’s opening grand slam as the top-ranked Australian, while another local favourite, Alicia Molik, is sweating on a discretionary wildcard from Tennis Australia after she was bundled out of the wildcard play-offs.

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