Samantha Stosur climbs to world number four

Another disconcerting defeat has not stopped Samantha Stosur from becoming Australia's highest-ranked women's tennis player in a quarter of a century.

Stosur climbed one position to number four in the world on Monday, despite squandering another winning lead in her 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) loss to Serbian Jelena Jankovic in the quarter-finals of the WTA event in Dubai.

No Australian-born player has reached fourth in the WTA standings since Wendy Turnbull in 1985.

But rather than celebrate her lofty position, Stosur will be intent on reversing a run of tight losses to avoid a rankings freefall over the coming months.

The 26-year-old French Open runner-up led Jankovic 3-0, 4-1 and 5-3 in the deciding set in Dubai before once again failing to close out the contest.

Stosur also wasted winning chances against Italians Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta in Australia's Fed Cup quarter-final defeat in Hobart this month and also lost close encounters last month to Svetlana Kuznetsova in Sydney and to Petra Kvitova at the Australian Open.

The pressure is now on Stosur to raise her game and defend a mountain of rankings points accrued during last year's claycourt season.

Tennis: Samantha Stosur wins Newcombe Medal

Samantha Stosur has been awarded the inaugural Newcombe Medal as Australian tennis' player of the year.

Stosur, currently ranked number six in the world, received the medal from Australian great John Newcombe himself at the Australian Tennis Awards in Melbourne on Friday evening.

The 26-year-old had a break-out year in 2010, reaching the French Open final where she lost to Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone.

She also reached the final at Stuttgart, won her second career title in Charleston and reached the semi-finals of the season-ending WTA Tour Championships in Doha.

She beat two world number ones in 2010 - Serena Williams at Roland Garros and Caroline Wozniacki at the WTA Championships - but was hampered late in the year by a right arm injury.

"I think it is a great honour," Stosur said.

"It is a really good initiative of Tennis Australia to put a night like this together for everyone to celebrate our sport.

"So to be the first winner of the Newcombe Medal is very special.

"Tennis is such a huge part of our culture in Australia, we've obviously got a great history and we're trying to continue that now."

Stosur pipped other finalists Jarmila Groth, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt and Anastasia Rodionova.

Davis Cup stalwart Peter Luczak, was awarded the Spirit of Tennis Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership, passion and dedication to the sport.

Stosur's coach and Australian Fed Cup captain, David Taylor, was also recognised for his exceptional coaching by being awarded the Coaching Excellence, High Performance Award.