Samantha Stosur's conquerer Victoria Duval once survived an armed hold up in her native Haiti Victoria Duval celebrates her big win over Samantha Stosur. VICTORIA Duval has the voice of a girl half her age, but the heart and poise of a woman twice her years: Life saw to that a long time ago. And on Wednesday, Duval - the 17-year-old survivor born in Miami but hardened in Haiti - pulled off the upset of this US Open, knocking off 2011 champion Sam Stosur 5-7 6-4 6-4. The unseeded qualifier - ranked 296th in the world - overcame a 4-2 deficit in the second set and pulled out a host of big points in the third. But after being held hostage by armed robbers and having her father, near death, pulled out of the earthquake rubble in Haiti, Duval is seasoned in handling hardship, writes The New York Post. This wasn't adversity. This was opportunity. And on Duval's fourth match point, the Nick Bollettieri protégé seized it, her forehand winner down the line sending her shrieking and bouncing up and down - finally acting her age. "I don't even remember match point," Duval said. I guess I was really happy. You could tell by all the jumping I did. It was a big moment, big stage, not easy closing any match out, let alone a past U.S. Open champion. So happy I did it, though. She seemed almost as happy to find out Lil Wayne and Amar'e Stoudemire had tweeted congratulations at her. Even after taking Stosur's best shot in the third - the 29-year-old veteran from Australia saved two match points down 5-4 - Duval sealed the deal on her serve. I'm goofy off the court. I'm very much of a child at heart," Duval said. (But) on the court, you have to be a warrior. Misfortune made her tough before her time. Armed robbers broke into her aunt's house in Port-au-Prince and held the then-seven-year-old Duval and her cousins for hours before the children were freed. It's not a good memory, so I try to forget as much as I could about it. I don't remember too much, which is great," said Duval, whose mother, Nadine, decided after that incident to give up her neonatal practice and move to Florida with Duval. Duval's father, Jean-Maurice, stayed behind to continue his gynecology and obstetrics practice. Jean-Maurice eventually joined the family in Atlanta, but had flown back to Haiti the day before a massive earthquake hit in January 2010. He was pinned under rubble, digging himself out despite broken legs, seven fractured ribs that punctured a lung, a shattered left arm and dangerous infections. With planes unable to land because there were no clear runways, real estate developer Harry Kitchen - who had gotten to know Duval from her tennis club in Atlanta - paid for a helicopter to airlift Jean-Maurice to a Fort Lauderdale hospital. "Not everyone just pays $30,000 to fly a helicopter to save someone," Duval said. They're amazing people. We couldn't have found better people. (Jean-Maurice) is just here with us, so it's incredible. On Wednesday she gave her father another reason to smile. New York Post