Cibulkova: Stosur 'plays like a man'

Sam Stosur's most recently vanquished French Open opponent has sent an ominous warning to anyone crossing the Australian's path, saying she "plays like a man."

Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova was awestruck by Stosur's kick serve and ripping topspin during a 6-4, 6-1 win by the No. 6 seed in their quarterfinal Tuesday.

"She played unbelievable today," Cibulkova said.

"Her topspin and her serve, I mean, she played like a man, and it's really hard to play against a man. It was driving me crazy on the court today. So it was really, really hard."

At just 5 feet 3, the diminutive Cibulkova struggled against Stosur's high-bouncing game.

Stosur's semifinal opponent, Sara Errani, knows the feeling. The similarly petite Italian — Errani is 5-5 and 132 pounds — never has beaten her in five attempts.

They met in Rome last month, with Stosur — who is listed at 5-7 3/4 and 143 pounds — winning in straight sets.

Wednesday's quarterfinal action will feature second-seeded Maria Sharapova against Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, while reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova takes on surprising qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova.