Francesca Schiavone vs Marion Bartoli – French Open 2011: Semi-final Preview
2010 French Open Champion Francesca Schiavone will face Marion Bartoli in the first semi-final of 2011 Women’s French Open in Paris.
Schiavone booked her semi-final berth with a thrilling victory over Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Despite trailing 1-6 and 1-4 in the second set, she was somehow able to find her game and made a dramatic come back to pull off a stunning victory.
Bartoli, on the other hand, had a much smoother ride to the last four. In fourth round, she was awarded a win after Gisela Dulko retired from the match due to a leg injury. She then defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets to make it to the semi-final. On a breezy day along with the crowd’s support, the Frenchwoman was able to come up with her best in the quarterfinals.
This is first time these two players are meeting on the clay surface with Schiavone leading the head to head stats 4-1 from their previous five outings. Seeing her performances one the red clay surfaces, the Italian is certainly the more successful of the two players, claiming the Roland Garros title last year in Paris.
Contrastingly, Bartoli has struggled to develop her game play on the clay court and has an average record on this particular surface. However she now sees herself better equipped and prepared than she was before.
Commenting on her recent form, Bartoli said, “I appreciate this surface a bit more, because now I have more weapons, and I’ve been able to develop my game. In the past I was more like frustrated on clay, because I thought I can’t develop my game as an attacker. My position on the court was not good enough. I was not at ease. I couldn’t control my footwork and the topic at hand. It was frustrating. But now that I’ve worked a lot, I can develop a game, a basic game, which is really something I enjoy, and people can feel it when I’m on the court.”
Both players possess destructive weapons which they use against each other. Schiavone is very good at playing the patience game and waits for her opponent to make the first mistake. Being more skilful on the clay surface, she is the favourite for this clash.
Equipped with a very strong forehand shot, Bartoli will be looking to play the more attacking game and take control on rallies from the start. This is the first time the Frenchwoman has made it to the semi-final of a Majors tournament. She will be hoping for consistency in order to progress towards her first Grand Slam trophy.
Prediction: Considering Schiavone recent successes on the clay surface, she is likely to clinch victory in two tight sets.
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