Schiavone defeats Wozniacki to reach French Open semis
Francesca Schiavone has reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after recording a straight-sets victory over world No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki at the French Open.
A quarter-finalist on her debut at the French Open in 2001, it has taken Schiavone nine years to emulate that feat in Paris but against the teenaged Wozniacki the Italian put all the experience she’d gained in the intervening years to good use.
Schiavone, playing in the fourth Grand Slam quarter-final of her career (the Australian Open is the only major where she hasn’t featured in the final eight), was determined that she wouldn’t be denied a place in the final four of a Grand Slam on this occasion.
The 29-year-old hit 17 winners to Wozniacki’s five in the opening set, playing with an aggression and variety that was sorely lacking from the Dane’s game to take the first set 6-2.
Wozniacki, who at the US Open last year converted her first Grand Slam quarter-final into a runner-up finish to comeback queen Kim Clijsters, took the fight to her older opponent in the second set, as the pair traded breaks of serve before the third seed strung two games together for the first time in the match to level the scores at 3-3.
That was Schiavone’s cue to fight her way back to the ascendency, holding serve with ease the next match, and setting up double break point after chasing down a Wozniacki drop shot and sliding the winner down the line and past the 19-year-old. She needed both of those break point chances to do it, but the 17th seed soon found herself serving for a place in the French Open semi-finals.
A serve and volley set up double match point for Schiavone, and an emphatically hit overhead into the backhand corner sealed it for the Milan-based player, who celebrated the best win of her career so far by kissing the red clay of Philippe Chatrier Court.
“The emotion is biggest pleasure,” Schiavone said after her victory. “I think is coming really from inside, because when you work a lot, hard every morning, every afternoon of your life, and is arriving at good result, I think you feel much more than to play always easy. So now I want to enjoy. For me, it's great. Is really something special.”
Schiavone now faces Elena Dementieva in the semis, and if she can win that one, an even greater reward for a lifetime’s work beckons for the Italian.
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