Refreshing though it was to see a delirious Francesca Schiavone making tennis history at Roland Garros yesterday, this year's women's singles tournament at the French Open will not linger long in the memory. It has been more a question of who has failed to deliver over the past fortnight rather than who has stood up and been counted. All credit to Schiavone for capitalising on her impressive quarter-final conquest of Caroline Wozniacki, the No 3 seed, to clear her path to becoming Italy's first female representative in a grand slam final and then going on to turn in a nerveless final performance to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.
Her scampering never-say-die approach makes her a popular addition to the list of grand slam champions and it will be interesting to see how she builds on this unexpected success from the more favourable position in future draws that top-10 status will afford her. Congratulations must also go to Samantha Stosur, the powerfully built Australian whom the lightweight Schiavone beat 6-4, 7-6 in a final which was reasonably received by a Paris crowd who had bought tickets expecting to see more familiar names figuring in the trophy decider.
Stosur, until recently more renowned as a doubles specialist, will feel she deserved to put what was once a leading tennis nation back on the map. The seventh seed, who caused a surprise by reaching the semi-finals in this event last year, will feel she deserved to go all the way this time after taking a cluster of top scalps. After ending the comeback dreams of Justine Henin, the four-time queen of Roland Garros, she out-muscled Serena Williams, the world No 1, in the quarter-finals and then routed Jelena Jankovic, a former world No 1, in a hopelessly one-sided semi-final.
Jankovic took the unwanted title of being the most abject of the big names in Paris over the past two weeks. Frequently criticised for her failure to endorse the top ranking with a maiden major title, she was invitingly provided with the platform to break her duck by the premature departure of the handful of leading players. She failed to take it and the way she allowed Stosur to sweep her off court in rapid time on semi-final day was alarming and raised serious question marks against her temperament in grand slams.
Less serious doubts, but doubts nevertheless, are beginning to creep into the Williams family fortress. Venus, always vulnerable on clay, was especially disappointing on this Paris visit, while Serena, holding the Australian Open title and plotting a route towards capturing all four majors in the same year for the first time in her exceptional career, was found wanting against an inspired Stosur. They will regroup in expectation of dominating Wimbledon yet again later this month but it would seem they are beginning to sense that there are more and more of their rivals who are refusing to be bullied into submission by the formidable Californian sisters.
It was a pity Kim Clijsters, the engaging Belgian who returned to top-class action last year after giving birth to a baby daughter, was absent from Roland Garros because of injury. Clijsters, who took on and beat Serena in her own back yard last September to set up a romantic US Open triumph, will be warmly welcomed back to Wimbledon if she can shake off her worrying foot injury. A final at the All England Club next month against her returning compatriot Henin, unlikely but tantalisingly possible, would be remembered for years to come by Centre Court patrons. Sadly, the same cannot be said of Schiavone's battling success over the physically superior Stosur. @Email:wjohnson@thenational.ae
Francesca Schiavone said that winning the French Open proved that dreams can come true. The Italian, who had never been beyond the quarter-finals at a major tournament until this weekend, said after beating Australia's Samantha Stosur in yesterday's final: "Everybody has the chance to be who you really want to be, and do everything in your life. This is what has happened to me." The 30-year-old's form improved as the match went on and she dominated the second set tie-break to seal victory and become the first Italian woman to win a grand slam. "I was feeling much more energy, more and more and more," the 17th seed added. "I couldn't stop it. I really felt that was my moment, and I took it. I didn't lose the chance." A disappointed Stosur, the seventh seed paid tribute to her conqueror. "I don't think I played that bad. She just had her day. She went for it. It takes guts to do that. Well done to her."