Francesca Schiavone an unlikely French Open champion
A career that before the French Open seemed destined to be remembered as solid but not spectacular reached heights few would have imagined when Francesca Schiavone collapsed onto the clay at the conclusion of the women’s singles final at Roland Garros this year.
The 29-year-old, who had won just three titles on the WTA Tour in a 12-year professional career, added a fourth as the stars aligned in Paris on Saturday.
Schiavone defeated red-hot favourite Sam Stosur 6-4, 7-6(2) in the final to become the first Italian woman to win a Grand-Slam singles title after outplaying the Australian in the deciding match.
“I always dream, yes,” Schiavone told reporters after the match. “I always believe in myself. Not about the trophy or tournament, but just on myself I think was the key for everything. I'm so happy. I'm really so happy.
“This is mean that everybody have the chance to be who really you want to be, and to do everything in your life. This is what's happen to me.”
It was a nervous-looking Stosur who made her way onto Philippe Chatrier Court to play in the biggest match of her career on Saturday afternoon, and the seventh seed failed to produce with any regularity that damaging forehand that had flowed so easily in her semi-final against Jelena Jankovic.
The mental strength that had seen her fight back from match point down to win her against Serena Williams in the quarters, was nowhere in sight for Stosur in the final.
In contrast, Schiavone arrived on court with a job to do and a plan to execute and succeeded on both counts. The 17th seed won the tactical battle as she played with variety – she was near faultless with her approaches to the net – while ensuring Stosur’s weaker backhand side was given perhaps its toughest workout of the past few matches.
“I prepared the final mentally and tactically very good,” Schiavone said. “I was so concentrate on my serve. I try to don't look nowhere, but just to feel my play and try to be aggressive as much as I could.
“To go to the net, yes, was my tactic to keep going, to press her on the backhand, and when I had the chance to go on the forehand, because she's very strong. My goal was to do that one and to be aggressive and to go inside.”
It was a plan Schiavone implemented to perfection, and gave her cause for just the third time in her career, and indeed the third time in three matches, to kiss the clay on centre court at Roland Garros.
After her semi-final victory, Schiavone told reporters after planting a wet one on the dirt court had tasted “good. So good.”
There can be little doubt it tasted even better this time around.
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