By Etienne Stekelenburg
January 8 2005

Second seed Patty Schnyder from Switzerland wins her ninth WTA Tour title at Uncle Tobys Gold Coast Hardcourts defeating Australia’s Samantha Stosur. The Swiss no.14 on the WTA Tour Ranking won in three sets 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Patty Schnyder used the tier III tournament at Gold Coast as a good warm up for the upcoming Australian Open in Melbourne starting at January 17. The 20 year old Samantha Stosur from Australia was close winning her first tournament before a home crowd in the almost 2 hours lasting match.

In the first set Stosur played an almost perfect set winning it 6-1. She was on her way to be the first Australian winner at Gold Coast. Schnyder broke her opponent Stosur for the first time in the second set when she took a 4-2 lead.

Schnyder took the match in her own hands and won it in little then two hours. Winning the third out nine WTA Tour titles on Australian soil. The Swiss won her first title at Hobart.

"It’s great," she said after winning the title. "I’m aiming for ten now so that’s great. I’m having so much fun playing Australia. It’s by far my best continent for titles. I love coming back here and also Melbourne, it’s a great Grand Slam."

"In the first set I just didn’t do anything wrong," Australias youngster Stosur said. "I don’t think I could have really played that set much better."

"I had some chances in the second set to break her in a few games and didn’t get it. The third set was just a bit tough losing that service game from 40-0. That doesn’t happen very often and that’s probably the worst time you could ever do it."

"She started working out a little bit where I was serving. I wanted to serve it out to her backhand on the deuce court and try and get her off the court and opening it up and she started picking it a bit."At 6-5 my legs ran out, I thought I was going to collapse. I don’t know if it was the nerves but I kind of felt a bit different in that last game when it was coming to an end and I had to do it but didn’t. But hopefully I will get used to those kind of situations."