Big win gives Sam belief

SAM Stosur’s first win over a top 20 player in 19 months has fired her belief that she can make an impact for Australia in this weekend’s Fed Cup semi-final at Pat Rafter Arena.

Stosur beat No.16 Madison Keys in an undulating threesetter in Miami last month, a round before she lost to Fed Cup teammate Ash Barty.

It was Stosur’s first win over a player ranked in the top 20 since she beat Agnieska Radwanska, ranked 18th, in Hong Kong in October 2017, when the Queenslander was ranked No.43.

Stosur, now No.73, flew to Brisbane yesterday to join fellow Queenslanders Barty and Priscilla Hon and Melbourne’s Daria Gavrilova for Saturday and Sunday’s tie against Belarus.

“The win over Madison Keys was a big moment for me because I hadn’t had a top 20 win for a while,’’ Stosur said.

“For me to bounce back from a break down in the third set was a nice little lift for me because it proved I could play well and beat a top 20 player, and my mental strength was right there.”