The Senate has today congratulated Australian tennis star Samantha Stosur on her win in the United States Open tennis championship.

The motion was moved by the Nationals Senator for New South Wales John Williams and supported by Queensland Liberal Senator Ian Macdonald, South Australian Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi, Greens Senator Richard Di Natale and the Minister for Sport Senator Mark Arbib.

The motion noted that Ms Stosur was the first Australian female tennis player since Margaret Court in 1973 to win the US Open, and the first since Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s Wimbledon victory in 1980 to win a Grand Slam event.

Senator Williams said Sam Stosur was a wonderful ambassador for Australia and showed similar fighting qualities to that displayed by another Australian sporting hero, Cadel Evans, just two month ago in the Tour de France.