Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals in the Open era yesterday, shrugging off a 10-year age gap to defeat Danish third seed Caroline Wozniacki.
In a battle between the oldest and youngest players left in the draw, the 29-year-old Schiavone beat the highly-rated teenager 6-2, 6-3 to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
Also, Elena Dementieva recovered from a sticky start to beat fellow Russian Nadia Petrova and reach the semi-finals of the French Open yesterday.
The two baseliners renewed a professional rivalry dating back to 1997 on a rainy Court Suzanne Lenglen and it was fifth seed Dementieva who played the sharper tennis after losing the opening three games to record a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory.
Both players received treatment for thigh injuries midway through the opening set and Petrova, who knocked out Venus Williams in the previous round, needed more attention after Dementieva leveled the match.
A confident Dementieva cruised through the deciding set as Petrova struggled to move properly, wrapping up victory with a forehand down the line after two hours and five minutes.
The 28-year-old Dementieva has now reached nine semi-finals, but is yet to win one of the four grand slams. She faces Italy’s Francesca Schiavone in the last four.
TAIWANESE PLAYERS
On Monday in the third round of women’s doubles, Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan and her partner Zheng Jie of China were defeated 6-2, 6-1 by Monica Niculescu of Romania and Shahar Peer of Israel. In the second round of mixed doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Brazil’s Bruno Soares were defeated 7-5, 2-6, 1-0 (8) by Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Leander Paes of India.
Meanwhile, Justine Henin received a standing ovation on Monday as she walked off Court Suzanne Lenglen, but it would have had a hollow ring for the Belgian after her script for a joyous French Open return had just been torn to shreds.
Spain’s Rafa Nadal stayed firmly on course for a fifth happy ending at Roland Garros, beating Brazil’s Thomas Bellucci 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, as he matched world No. 1 Roger Federer’s feat of reaching the quarter-finals without dropping a set.
Schiavone had already defeated her blonde opponent Wozniacki in straight sets in the pair’s only other previous meeting in Zurich two years ago, and was the dominant force again yesterday.
Her all-court game, variety of shot as well as being one of the few women to still employ a one-handed backhand, left Wozniacki looking decidedly one-dimensional despite her lofty status as world No. 3.
Schiavone settled quickly into the match despite the murky and damp Court Philippe Chatrier conditions, breaking in the fourth and eighth games and securing the set when she drew Wozniacki to the net with a sweet drop shot.
As the Dane prodded the ball back, the wily Italian then unleashed a smooth backhand which Wozniacki could only watch as the ball darted past her.
The Italian’s 16 winners to the teenager’s four were reward for her attacking philosophy.
Two breaks each followed in the second set before Schiavone, backed by vocal Italian support amongst the smattering of spectators dotted around the stands, regained the advantage with another break to lead 5-3.
She claimed a place in the last four when another pinpoint forehand eluded the flat-footed Dane.
With the line-ups for the last eight now complete and warm sunshine forecast to return to Paris by the end of the week the tournament is bubbling up nicely for a thrilling crescendo.
Shame then that Henin, one of the greatest exponents of claycourt tennis the world has seen, will be missing.
The four-time champion showed flashes of her old brilliance en route to the fourth round, her sublime backhand occasionally sparked and the old fire still burns inside.
However, she never quite scaled the heights she reached when completing a rare hat-trick of titles in 2007 and that was the case again on Monday when the 27-year-old lost 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Australia’s Samantha Stosur.
Stosur, a surprise semi-finalist last year, sabotaged an eagerly anticipated quarter-final between Henin and Serena Williams, but was well worth her victory as she, not Henin, moved through to face the US’ world No. 1.
“I just wanted so much that the adventure could keep going,” Henin told reporters after her 24-match winning streak at Roland Garros, albeit one interrupted by her decision to “retire” for 20 months. “It’s always difficult to lose, especially in a place I love as much as Roland Garros without showing your best tennis.”
Despite winning the first set in 32 minutes Henin had no answer when Stosur raised her game. The Australian wobbled when she surrendered an early break in the deciding set, but a Henin double-fault helped her break again at 4-4 and the seventh seed held her nerve to seal victory with a smash.
“Today I handled the situation well, especially when I got the lead and lost it again,” Stosur told reporters. “I was fighting it, but I managed to stay in control.”
Stosur was joined in the quarter-finals by unseeded Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova, who knocked out Australia’s Jarmila Groth 6-4, 6-3 to set up a clash with Serbia’s fourth seed Jelena Jankovic who saw off Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2.
Nadal will face Nicolas Almagro today after beating Bellucci.
“Of course, I’m very happy, but I’ll start jumping when I win the tournament,” he said.
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