Laura stuns Li to face Stosur next at US Open

NEW YORK: British teen Laura Robson ousted Chinese ninth seed Li Na from the US Open on Friday to book a fourth-round showdown against defending champion Samantha Stosur at the year's last Grand Slam event.

Robson, an 18-year-old left-hander who ended the career of three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters with a second-round triumph, took her first victory over a top-10 foe by downing 2011 French Open winner Li 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2.

Australian seventh-seed Stosur, who has not won a title since lifting the US Open trophy last year, reached the fourth round with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 victory over US 31st seed Varvara Lepchenko.

Robson, who was born in Australia but moved to Britain at age six, became the first British woman in the fourth round of a Grand Slam since Sam Smith at Wimbledon in 1998 and the first in the Open's last 16 since Jo Durie in 1991.

Robson, the youngest player in the world top 100 at 89th, ensured this would be Li's first season since 2008 not to reach the last eight at any Grand Slam tournament. (AFP)