Dementieva vs Schiavone French Open semi-final preview
Elena Dementieva will be attempting to reach the final of the French Open for the second time in her career when she plays surprise semi-finalist Francesca Schiavone in the penultimate round.
The fifth seed has not played in a Grand Slam final since 2004, when she was runner-up at both Roland Garros and the US Open, but Dementieva has played in five semi-finals since then, though this will be her first semi in Paris for six years.
The Russian’s most recent semi-final appearance was in an epic against Serena Williams at Wimbledon last year, where Dementieva held match point against Williams in the deciding third set before eventual champion won the match 6-7, 7-5, 8-6.
The year previously, it was eventual titlist Venus Williams who inflicted a semi-final defeat on Dementieva at the Wimbledon semis; while the world No. 5 also ran headlong into Serena in the semis of the Australian Open in 2009, with the American going on to claim that match and then victory in the final.
Schiavone, playing in the first Grand Slam semi-final of her career, quite simply isn’t in the same league as the Williams sisters, but after a professional career that has spanned a dozen years, with just three WTA singles titles to show for it, the Italian is finally gaining reward for effort.
The 17th seed employed a near flawless game plan against a defensive Caroline Wozniacki in her quarter-final match, playing with a level of aggression and variety that never allowed her teenage opponent to find her own rhythm in the match.
Sam Stosur may have ended Justine Henin’s chances of a fifth French Open title in the fourth round, but in Schiavone hope still remains that a single-handed backhand will be in full flight on Philippe Chatrier Court in the final.
Dementieva, however, should cause a few more problems for Schiavone than Wozniacki did in her previous match, if only for the fact that in 10 previous matches both players have had ample opportunity to familiarise themselves with their opponent’s playing style.
It’s the fifth seed who in recent times has had the better record in their matches, with Dementieva winning the three most recent matches between the pair to take a 6-4 winning advantage into this semi-final. Schiavone hasn’t defeated Dementieva since Zurich in 2007, the last victory of her three-match winning streak against the Russian.
“Francesca is a very good player,” Dementieva said after winning her quarter-final match. “She likes to play on clay courts. I think it really suits her game. She has a great variation in her game. She always had good results playing on clay courts. I think she's in a great shape for the moment, and that's gonna be a tough match for me.”
Likewise, Schiavone will know Dementieva’s game and that serve is open to attack, and if she’s to book a place in the French Open final, it’s a weakness the 29-year-old will need to exploit. She’ll also know, however, that Dementieva’s speedy court coverage (though she did suffer from a leg injury in her quarter-final match against Nadia Petrova) and powerful shot play more often than not manage to compensate for that one obvious flaw in her game.
After a tough run of Grand Slam semi-final opponents (Mary Pierce at the 2005 US Open and Jelena Jankovic in career-best form at the 2008 US Open round out the quintet of losing semi-finals for the 28-year-old), Dementieva will know opportunities like this one – against a player in some of the best form of her career, but without a proven Grand Slam title record – don’t come along every day.
The world No. 5 may not have been in great form in the lead-up to the French Open, and may not have been pushed most of the way through the draw in Paris, but having landed in the final four, Dementieva must now sense the chance to add that elusive Grand Slam title to the Olympic gold medal she won in 2008.
Prediction: Dementieva to reach the third Grand Slam final of her career in straight sets.
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