Samantha Stosur let an amazing opportunity slip through her hands after being defeated by Maria Sharapova during the French Open. Stosur had a one-set lead over Sharapova, but ended up losing nine straight games.

The Australian tennis player posed a big threat to Sharapova, but that still was not enough to pull a win against the Russian crowd favorite. “I know it was an opportunity lost, I thought I was there to win that match and definitely playing well enough to do so. I know that’s an opportunity I’m not going to get again,” Stosur commented.

The game started with Stosur showcasing  great potential for a victory against Sharapova. By the third set, Stosur was at a complete loss, not expecting her opponent to bounce back by overpowering her serves. The two tied at 4-4 during the second set, but Sharapova was determined and changed the score during the third set at 6-0—even Stosur was surprised by how quickly Sharapova retaliated.

Samantha Stosur at a loss to explain her #FrenchOpen capitulation to @MariaSharapova http://t.co/NySnwKWqqF #Stosur pic.twitter.com/xP8AM9ak3Z

— Sportal.com.au (@SportalAU) June 2, 2014

Samantha Stosur vs. Maria Sharapova: French Open match highlights

Stosur had only won two out of the fifteen matches she previously played against Sharapova. Coming into this match, the Aussie stated that she knew what it would take to defeat Sharapova and that she would have to work hard to get a win—however, if she slacked off, she was well aware that the match would be extremely tough for her.

Sharapova openly admitted that she had a hard time with Stosur’s serve and slice during the earlier parts of the match.

Sharapova engineered quite. Tournaround to reach the French Open quarterfinals,beating Samantha Stosur 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 pic.twitter.com/DHKlovvERN

— betitodotcom-sports (@albertuin) June 1, 2014

The 30-year-old Stosur is well known for her powerful serve, which is known to be one of the best in women’s tennis. She defeated Serena Williams in 2011 in the US Open final, becoming the first Australian woman since 1980 to nab a Grand Slam singles tournament. To date, Stosur has a total of four Grand Slam titles under her belt: two in mixed doubles, and two in women’s doubles.

Image via SamStosur.com