Thank god for Aussie Sam

Samantha Stosur will replace Lleyton Hewitt as the great local hope for this summer's Australian Open and the transition is a welcome one that has been long overdue.

Her triumph at the 2011 US Open has changed the landscape of Aussie tennis. The way she won at Flushing Meadows was as pleasing as the win itself.

Despite losing her No.1 ranking, Serena Williams was regarded as the world's most formidable player, given her ability to wipe any opponent off the court with her bludgeoning power.

That was, until she met Stosur in the US Open final.

Stosur's all-round performance stunned the 13-time major-winner. She landed almost two-thirds of her powerful first serve, she capitalised on five of her nine break point opportunities, and made fewer than half the unforced errors of her opponent. The American might have imploded in the second set, but that didn't cause her capitulation. Rather, it was a sign that she knew defeat was upon her. It was flawless tennis on the biggest stage of them all from Stosur.

Her emergence as a genuine force in women's tennis couldn't have come at a better time for Tennis Australia, which has been crying out for a new marketing focus in the wake of Hewitt's decline. In recent years, the public have been subjected to reading countless newspaper articles spruiking Hewitt as a genuine contender. It has been the epitome of false hope, given Hewitt's last grand slam trophy came at Wimbledon in 2002, and he only has one grand slam quarter-final appearance to his name since 2006 (at Wimbledon in 2009).

Well-meaning public encouragement from many of Hewitt's on-court colleagues has fuelled the fans' disillusionment. Prior to last year's Australian Open, journalists quizzed Frenchman Gael Monfils on Hewitt's future prospects.

He declared Hewitt can "win a major again".

In Monfils' defence, it's likely he was trying to be a popular guest by talking up the host country's best hope. But in reality, his comments came five or six years too late.

Hewitt played just 20 matches in 2011, missing two of the majors and is now left with a ranking only slightly on the better side of 200. Admittedly injuries have played their part, with an ankle problem keeping him out of the French Open and foot soreness forcing his withdrawal from Flushing Meadows. These niggles followed hip surgery in 2008 and 2010.

But with his body clearly struggling with more than a decade of strain, surely Hewitt's injury problems make a mockery of the notion he could still win another slam, rather than provide an excuse for why he hasn't.

There have been solid performances from Australian women in recent years at Melbourne Park. Alicia Molik reached the quarter-finals in 2005, Casey Dellacqua progressed to the fourth round in 2008 and Jelena Dokic made the quarters in 2009.

Evidently, those results were a flash in the pan. Dellacqua hasn't reached the last 16 at a major since, Molik's appearance in the last eight was her only quarter-final at a grand slam, and Dokic hasn't gone further than the second round at a major since her dream run at Melbourne Park in '09.

Stosur, however, has given Australia a reason to believe. Adding further weight to her cause is the current power vacuum in women's tennis. Of the five players ranked above Stosur, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova looms as her biggest obstacle, but the cupboard is otherwise quite bare.

World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki's conservative playing style has prevented her from winning a major. Victoria Azarenka is also yet to taste grand slam success. Maria Sharapova has gone four years without lifting a major trophy and while a rejuvenated Li Na won at Roland Garros in 2011, she is less likely to pose a threat to the more powerful Stosur on the faster surfaces of the other three slams.

All is not lost on the men's side of the draw, either. Bernard Tomic, who reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon where he took Novak Djokovic to four sets, has also given Australia fresh hope.

Tomic has shot into the top 50 and although talk of him winning a major would be premature, he deserves the mantle of Australia's No.1 and the weight of expectation that will descend at his home grand slam.

Finally, there is a good chance we'll be reading about Australia's stars on the back pages of the newspapers, rather than women's magazines. And for that, we can only be thankful.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of BigPond Sport.