Dementieva defeats Petrova to reach Roland Garros semis
Elena Dementieva fought back from a set behind against Nadia Petrova to book her place in the semi-finals of the French Open.
In the battle of the last two Russians remaining in the women’s singles, it was Petrova who started the match stronger, with 15 winners flowing from her racquet and four double faults from her opponent helping the 19th seed take the first set in 62 minutes.
There may be cause to criticise Dementieva’s serve, which can often be more about starting a point than setting it up, but the fifth seed’s ability to stage a comeback cannot be doubted after she overcame that one set deficit to eventually record a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory over her compatriot.
The 28-year-old had entered the French Open coming off some uninspiring results in her clay-court matches this spring, but had a kind run through the opening four rounds, with Petrova presenting the first real challenge for Dementieva.
Petrova, on the other hand, had earned her place in the final eight with a fourth-round victory over second seed Venus Williams in her fourth round match, but after starting her quarter-final match with a bang, managed just 12 more winners for the match, while struggling with an adductor strain. In contrast, Dementieva committed just nine unforced errors across the concluding two sets, while producing 17 winners of her own for a total of 23 for the match.
Today’s quarter-final victory means Dementieva has recorded her best result at the clay court major since she was runner-up in 2004.
The world No. 5 will now play Italy’s Francesca Schiavone, who today reached the penultimate round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, to decide which of the two will take her place in the 2010 Roland Garros final.
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