Italian Francesca Schiavone makes history by winning French Open
Francesca Schiavone succeeded in making history as she won the first French Open title for Italy at the Roland Garros, Saturday.
Schiavone did not held back on her emotions as she pushed her fist up in air, made upper cut gestures and literally skipped across the court.
Schiavone, now known as the first Italian woman to win the French Open, just delivered her finest performance of her career as she earned a victory against Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
The seasoned veteran fought against a 4-1 deficit during the second set, before advancing into a clinching tiebreaker.
Schiavone delivered a succession of exceptional shots which reflected the veteran’s eagerness to win the title. Once Schiavone secured the match, she fell onto her back and even went down to kiss the clay court.
The Italian was covered in dirt as she embraced Stosur. Nonetheless, there was a big grin plastered on her, a smile that had been evident on past champions before. Schiavone even went over to the sidelines to give her appreciation towards supporters.
Stosur's forehand was lacking. It is did not have the offensive bite it had during her previous matches and Schiavone had a lot to do with it.
The Italian had a dogged defense play. Her smart combination of spins prevented Stosur from dominating the match.
It prevented any Stosur to push for any turnover. As opposed to previous conditions, the clay during the finals was fast and the weather was nothing but sunny and warm, far from the pouring conditions the players of the Roland Garros had to endure for a good part of the tournament.
Stosur’s serves were running up to 123 mph but Schiavone expertly returned the balls. The Italian inflicted damage as she returned Stosurs serves.
David Taylor, Stosur’s coach, commended Schiavone on her performance. Further Taylor said that Schiavone played to her fullest and she displayed a good mental and tactical approach against Stosur. After 39 Grand Slam participations, the French Open title is Schiavone’s first.
On the verge of becoming 30 years old, Schiavone will become the oldest women to enter the world’s top ten after more than a decade. Her rank is expected to reach 6th after her Roland Garros win.
Schiavone also ended Italy’s drought for a Grand Slam title since Adriano Pannata won the same tournament in 1976.
During the match, both Stosur and Schiavone delivered good reliable serves. Further, the two players were able to get over two dozen winners and each set had only a few points in deficit.
The two players strayed away from having a break point not until the match came to its ninth game. Stosur was suddenly behind Schiavone at love-40. While Stosur got two break points, she had a double-fault. It was evident when Stosur slapped her thigh that it was an error she could not afford. Consequently, she lost the game.
Although Schiavone was behind in the next game at love-30, she was able to rally and managed to get four winners which secured her victory over the set.
Stosur had two break points gained the upper hand during the second set at 2-1 before pushing for a significant lead at 4-1. Schiavone only gave up four points in the succeeding three games.
She grabbed the opportunity when Stosur commited the errors and pushed for a 4-4. Both players held onto the tie breaker but Schiavone eventually prevailed. Stosur commented that her lost was not because she played badly during the match rather it was Schiavone who had the better play.
Martina Navratilova, 18-time Grand Slam title holder, expressed her recognition towards the newest Roland Garros champion.
Navratilova further commented that Schiavone showed a great deal of passion for this year’s French Open and that evidently came through. Schiavone wanted to win the French Open and the Italian had delivered the best play of her career.
Tags: