Stosur Runs Out of Gas Against Schnyder in WTA Gold Coast Final

Unseeded Aussie Sam Stosur came within two points of her first title Saturday at the WTA stop in Gold Coast, but was edged by No. 2 seed Patty "Handshake" Schnyder who in the end used her stylish baseline arsenal to thwart the homecountry favorite 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Stosur's effective all-court game caught the Swiss off guard in the opening set, but took its toll as the Aussie admitted she was spent by the third set. The final was Stosur's third consecutive three-set match.

"My legs ran out -- I felt as if I was going to collapse," Stosur said. "It was the worst time possible for me to lose a service game from 40-0, like I did at 5-all (third set)."

It was the second Gold Coast title for Schnyder after 1999, and her first title since 2002.

"She's a real great player," Schnyder said. "She doesn't play this way in the U.S. or Europe yet, but she has a lot of power and she can be around (a ranking of) 30 for sure, or even higher if she can maintain her level."

In the doubles final the No. 2-seeded Russian/Bulgarian tandem of Likhovtseva/Maleeva outlasted Italians Camerin/Farina Elia 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.