Francesca Schiavone (Tennis Player) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Francesca Schiavone Female Born Jun 23, 1980 Francesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 27 February 2012, Schiavone's ranking is World No. 12; her career high ranking is World No.

4, achieved on 31 January 2011.… Read More related links Schiavone Drops A Set On Way To Jiangxi Open Quarterfinals NYTimes - Aug 03, 2016 'Former French Open champion <mark>Francesca Schiavone</mark> dropped the first set on her way to beating Lu Jiajing of China 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 Wednesday in the Jiangxi Open second round.' Schiavone Eliminates 2014 Champ Cornet At Katowice Open NYTimes - Apr 07, 2016 'Unseeded <mark>Francesca Schiavone</mark> of Italy eliminated the 2014 champion, fourth-seeded Alize Cornet of France 7-6 (5), 6-1 to make the Katowice Open quarterfinals on Thursday.

' Schiavone Ousts Kerber In Antwerp Fox News - Feb 12, 2015 'Antwerp, Belgium (SportsNetwork.com) - Former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone upset second seed Angelique Kerber in Thursday\'s second-round action at the Diamond Games tennis event.The 34-year-old Italian Schiavone drilled the left-handed German Kerber 6-1, 6-1 on the indoor hardcourts at Sportpaleis Merksem' Radwanska, Wozniacki Bundled Out Early In Sydney Yahoo News - Jan 07, 2014 'The Sydney International continued to be a graveyard for some of the top names in women\'s tennis with champion and top seed Agnieszka Radwanska and former world number one Caroline Wozniacki both losing in the second round on Tuesday. Men\'s champion Bernard Tomic, however, followed up the exploits of fellow Australian Marko Matosevic, who earlier beat Florian Mayer 6-2 4-6 6-3, to demolish eighth seed Marcel Granollers 6-3 6-0 in just under an hour.

Radwanska and Wozniacki followed grand s... Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Francesca Schiavone. CHILDHOOD 1980 Birth Born on June 23, 1980. TWENTIES Show Less She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgium team 3â2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. … Read More Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy. This match was a doubles match and Kirsten Flipkens partnered Henin and Roberta Vinci partnered Schiavone. In 2009 she won the Fed Cup with Italy for the second time against the USA, and also made the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time. In 2010 Italy with Schiavone won the Fed Cup for the third time. Read Less She also beat AmÃ©lie Mauresmo in a Fed Cup tie in 2006 when Mauresmo was ranked No. 1.

Show Less In addition she realized a notable victory during the quarterfinals of the 2008 Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, when she upset world No. 1 and four-time champion Henin 7â6, 7â6. Partnering with Australian Casey Dellacqua, Schiavone was the runner-up in the women's doubles competition at the 2008 French Open where they lost to Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual. … Read More Schiavone also reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the other three grand slams.<br /><br /> At the Australian Open Francesca defeated Frenchwomen AlizÃ© Cornet 0â6, 7â5, 6â0. and Julie Coin 6â3, 6â4 first before upsetting No. 10 seed Agnieszka RadwaÅska 6â2, 6â2. Though she matched her best results there (4R), she went on to lose to No.

6 seed Venus Williams after winning the first set 3â6, 6â2, 6â1.<br /><br /> She beat Alberta Brianti, Tathiana Garbin, Carla SuÃ¡rez Navarro, Yaroslava Shvedova, and Roberta Vinci all in straight sets to win her 3rd WTA title at the Barcelona Ladies Open. Read Less 2009 29 Years Old In the final, Schiavone faced Stosur in a rematch of their first-round meeting at the 2009 French Open which Stosur had won easily (6â4, 6â2). … Read More Because of this previous result, and Stosur's victories over four-time French Open champion Justine Henin, World No. 1 Serena Williams and World No. 4 JankoviÄ en route to the final, Stosur was considered a heavy favorite to defeat Schiavone. Read Less THIRTIES Show Less Seeded 17th entering the 2010 French Open, Schiavone was lightly regarded as a contender for the championship.

… Read More She defeated Regina Kulikova, Sophie Ferguson, 11th seed Li Na, and 30th seed Maria Kirilenko to reach her first French Open quarterfinal since 2001 (where she had lost to Martina Hingis). In the quarterfinals, she defeated World No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets to become the first Italian woman to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles event.<br /><br /> The semifinals of the French Open consisted of four players (Jelena JankoviÄ, Elena Dementieva, Samantha Stosur and Schiavone) who had never won a Grand Slam singles event; nevertheless, most in the tennis community, including ESPN's tennis commentary team of Mary Jo Fernandez, Patrick McEnroe and Brad Gilbert singled out Schiavone as the one player who was not a serious contender to win the title. In the semifinals, Schiavone defeated World No.

5 and 2004 finalist Dementieva after Dementieva retired in the second set with a torn calf muscle having lost the first set in a tiebreaker; the victory made Schiavone the first Italian woman to reach a Grand Slam final, and assured that she would become a top-ten player for the first time following the tournament. Read Less However, on 5 June 2010, Schiavone defied expectations to become the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title, defeating Stosur 6â4, 7â6. … Read More The victory made her only the third Italian player to win a Grand Slam event in singles, after Nicola Pietrangeli and Adriano Panatta. Read Less The victory also meant she rose to number 6 in the World Rankings on 7 June 2010 and became the highest ranked Italian woman ever after Flavia Pennetta reached world No. 10 in 2009.

… Read More Schiavone's next event after the French Open was Eastbourne, where she lost in the first-round to Sorana CÃ®rstea 5â7, 3â6.<br /><br /> Schiavone was the 5th seed at Wimbledon, due to the pre-tournament withdrawal of Dementieva, however she lost to Vera Dushevina in the first round 7â6, 5â7, 1â6. Read Less Schiavone reached the quarterfinals of the 2010 Rogers Cup, where she fell to top seed Caroline Wozniacki. … Read More Schiavone was the 6th seed at the US Open. She defeated Ayumi Morita, Maria Elena Camerin, 29th seed Alona Bondarenko, and 20th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2003 (where she had lost to Jennifer Capriati).

In the quarterfinals, she fell to seven-time Grand Slam singles champion No.3 seed Venus Williams 7â6, 6â4. Read Less As the 5th seed, Schiavone reached the semifinals of the 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open, where she fell to 7th seed Elena Dementieva. … Read More At the season-ending WTA Tour Championships, Schiavone competed for the first time in her career but was eliminated in the round robin stage. Schiavone fell to Caroline Wozniacki in three sets, Samantha Stosur in two sets and before defeating Elena Dementieva in what would be Dementieva's final career match. Read Less Show Less Schiavone began the year at the 2011 Hopman Cup representing Italy. … Read More In singles, Schiavone defeated Great Britain's Laura Robson, but fell to American Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Schiavone retired with an injury against Kristina Mladenovic.

Read Less Seeded 6th at the 2011 Australian Open, Schiavone advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in her career upon a victory over 23rd seeded and two-time grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. … Read More The 4th round encounter lasted nearly five hours (4:44; 47 games in total), and Schiavone saved six match points before finally prevailing 6â4, 1â6, 16â14. With this win, Schiavone rose in the rankings to World No. 4 after the tournament, the highest ranking ever achieved by an Italian woman, improving her own record. In the quarterfinal against World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, Schiavone was a set and 3â1 up in the second set, but was broken twice by Wozniacki in the same set and twice in the third, to lose 3â6, 6â3, 6â3 after saving three match points.

Read Less At the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships, Schiavone was seeded 3rd, but fell in the Round of 16 to Kuznetsova. At the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open in Doha, Schiavone fell to Peng Shuai in the Round of 16. She then fell to eventual champion Jelena Dokic at the 2011 Malaysian Open. Schiavone then reached the Round of 16 again at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, falling to Shahar Pe'er. Seeded 5th at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Schiavone reached the Round of 16, losing to Agnieszka RadwaÅska. Schiavone began her clay court season with a Round of 16 loss to RadwaÅska at the 2011 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She then reached the Round of 16 at the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open, falling to Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Following Madrid, Schiavone then reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, losing to World No. 7 Samantha Stosur, in a rematch of the 2010 French Open final. She then lost to World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in three sets during the semifinals of the 2011 Brussels Open, the last tournament before the French Open. Schiavone was the 5th seed and the defending champion at the 2011 French Open. … Read More She beat Melanie Oudin, Vesna Dolonts, 29th seed Peng Shuai, 10th seed Jelena JankoviÄ, 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and 11th seed Marion Bartoli to reach the final. In the final, she lost to Li Na, 6â4, 7â6. Read Less Schiavone then switched to the grass courts, falling to Agnieszka RadwaÅska at the 2011 Aegon International in her only Wimbledon warmup.

She was the 6th seed at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, losing in the third round to Tamira Paszek of Austria. … Read More During the Rogers Cup, Schiavone won her opening round match against Ekaterina Makarova but fell in the third round to Lucie Å afÃ¡ÅovÃ¡ <br /><br /> The Western & Southern Open saw another early round loss for Schiavone. It took her three sets to defeat Maria Kirilenko in her opening round match. She then lost to former World No. 1 Jelena JankoviÄ in a third round three-setter.<br /><br /> Just before the US Open Schiavone entered the New Haven Open. She defeated Alexandra Dulgheru and Monica Niculescu in the first two rounds. Her quarterfinal match against Anabel Medina Garrigues was a walkover. Schiavone was defeated by World No.

1 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets in the semifinals.<br /><br /> Schiavone reached the fourth round of the US Open where she lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.<br /><br /> At the China Open Schiavone emerged victorious in the first round against Bojana Jovanovski but was then defeated in the second round by Dominika CibulkovÃ¡. Read Less Francesca Schiavone pines for normality after French Open win | Sport | The Guardian Francesca Schiavone pines for normality after French Open win • Italian earns £877,000 for Roland Garros victory • Schiavone modest after historic result Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles event.

Photograph: Szwarc Henri/PA Kevin Mitchell at Roland Garros Sunday 6 June 2010 19.05 EDT First published on Sunday 6 June 2010 19.05 EDT Close This article is 6 years old Even in the warm glow of her greatest triumph, the new French Open women's champion Francesca Schiavone hinted that, having climbed her Olympus, she was perfectly happy, at 29, to return quickly to where she felt most comfortable. She didn't want 50,000 people waiting to acclaim her in Rome not that she expected that to happen anyway. "I want to go home to mommy and daddy," she said. About 25 of her family and friends made special T-shirts inscribed with the words "Scavio, Nothing Is Impossible" at the last minute and drove overnight for 10 hours from Milan to be with her, and she longed to enjoy her victory with them, at home. "Because," she said, "usually we do good dinner." Scavio is their childhood nickname for her.

But the little imp familiar only to hardcore tennis fans until even a week ago, all 5ft 5½in of her, belongs to a wider audience now. Hers is a story every bit as heartwarming for who she is and the values she represents as for what she achieved here on Saturday. In the manner of her victory over the muscled young Australian favourite Samantha Stosur in a final some hard-bitten observers predicted would be an irrelevance because it lacked a headliner, the Italian ensured that her name will endure long after the cynics have been forgotten. That name is inscribed on Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in perpetuity – the first Italian to be so honoured – and the image of her celebration will be impossible to erase for those fortunate enough to be there as she rolled around in the red clay, eyes blazing, then, as she had done twice on the way to the final, put her lips to the dirt. "To kiss the ground for me is to thank this clay," she said later, "this beautiful tournament and this arena." Yesterday, the Italian media showered their new sweetheart in praise that has not exactly drowned her in the past. "Historic victory," Gazzetta Sportiva said across its front page.

"Mythical," said Corriere dello Sport. No doubt this will gladden Schiavone without changing her. She is unfazed by celebrity or the attention it brings. She had a court-side phone conversation with Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano, as if ordering a pizza. Schiavone said before the final that intelligence would be the key, and it was. She calculated that she could unsettle Stosur if she rushed her at the net, selectively, and worked her over on the backhand, her weakest wing. This also quietened the Australian's biggest gun, a wicked forehand that had already accounted for Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic. None of those illustrious players had an answer to Stosur's power. Schiavone, who had crept through on the less demanding side of the draw, did, however, as the loser graciously conceded. "She's obviously fit and healthy," Stosur said. "It doesn't matter what the age; if you've got that desire, anyone can do it.

I think it proves you don't have to be the teenage wonderkid superstar to win a tournament like this." It took courage, with a little desperation, perhaps, for Schiavone to implement her battle plan on Saturday afternoon. She has waited so long, but she knew this would almost certainly be her only chance to win the tournament that had been the stuff of her dreams since she was very young. With the win comes not only €1,060,000 (£877,000) in prize money (some of which she said she would use to build a bigger house for her extended family), a jump in the world rankings from 17 to six and increased expectations. She will enjoy Eastbourne and Wimbledon, probably without making a major impact on the grass, and she will win a few hearts along the way. The new champion was as happy for Stosur as for herself because, as she said later, "You are young.

You will win this one day." Francesca Schiavone - 必应 Sign in Francesca Schiavone Francesca Schiavone (Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃeska skjaˈvoːne]; born 23 June 1980 in Milan) is an Italian professional tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. Her career high ranking is World No. 4, achieved on 31 January 2011. To date, Schiavone is the last one handed-backhand player to win a Grand Slam title on the women's tour. Schiavone has won 6 WTA singles title ... (展开) s in total, including Roland Garros. In doubles, her career-high ranking is World No. 8, peaking with an appearance in the final of the 2008 French Open.

Furthermore, she helped Italy to win the Fed Cup in 2006, 2009 and 2010, and has the most wins for the Italian team. Francesca Schiavone Professional career Schiavone has won six singles titles on the WTA tour and has also achieved eleven runners-up positions, eight of them since the autumn of 2005. Schiavone lost her first eight career finals before finally winning her first title in July 2007. She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgium team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy. This match was a doubles match and Kirsten Flipkens partnered Henin and Roberta Vinci partnered Schiavone. In 2009 she won the Fed Cup with Italy for the second time against the USA, and also made the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time. In 2010 Italy with Schiavone won the Fed Cup for the third time.

In addition she realized a notable victory during the quarterfinals of the 2008 Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, when she upset world No. 1 and four-time champion Henin 7–6, 7–6. She also beat Amélie Mauresmo in a Fed Cup tie in 2006 when Mauresmo was ranked No. 1. Partnering with Australian Casey Dellacqua, Schiavone was the runner-up in the women's doubles competition at the 2008 French Open where they lost to Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual. Schiavone also reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the other three grand slams. 2010: First Major Title at Roland Garros At the Australian Open Francesca defeated Frenchwomen Alizé Cornet 0–6, 7–5, 6–0. and Julie Coin 6–3, 6–4 first before upsetting No. 10 seed Agnieszka Radwańska 6–2, 6–2. Though she matched her best results there (4R), she went on to lose to No.

6 seed Venus Williams after winning the first set 3–6, 6–2, 6–1. She beat Alberta Brianti, Tathiana Garbin, Carla Suárez Navarro, Yaroslava Shvedova, and Roberta Vinci all in straight sets to win her 3rd WTA title at the Barcelona Ladies Open. Seeded 17th entering the 2010 French Open, Schiavone was lightly regarded as a contender for the championship. She defeated Regina Kulikova, Sophie Ferguson, 11th seed Li Na, and 30th seed Maria Kirilenko to reach her first French Open quarterfinal since 2001 (where she had lost to Martina Hingis). In the quarterfinals, she defeated World No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets to become the first Italian woman to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles event.

The semifinals of the French Open consisted of four players (Jelena Janković, Elena Dementieva, Samantha Stosur and Schiavone) who had never won a Grand Slam singles event; nevertheless, most in the tennis community, including ESPN's tennis commentary team of Mary Jo Fernandez, Patrick McEnroe and Brad Gilbert singled out Schiavone as the one player who was not a serious contender to win the title. In the semifinals, Schiavone defeated World No. 5 and 2004 finalist Dementieva after Dementieva retired in the second set with a torn calf muscle having lost the first set in a tiebreaker; the victory made Schiavone the first Italian woman to reach a Grand Slam final, and assured that she would become a top-ten player for the first time following the tournament. In the final, Schiavone faced Stosur in a rematch of their first-round meeting at the 2009 French Open which Stosur had won easily (6–4, 6–2). Because of this previous result, and Stosur's victories over four-time French Open champion Justine Henin, World No.

1 Serena Williams and World No. 4 Janković en route to the final, Stosur was considered a heavy favorite to defeat Schiavone. However, on 5 June 2010, Schiavone defied expectations to become the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title, defeating Stosur 6–4, 7–6. The victory made her only the third Italian player to win a Grand Slam event in singles, after Nicola Pietrangeli and Adriano Panatta. The victory also meant she rose to number 6 in the World Rankings on 7 June 2010 and became the highest ranked Italian woman ever after Flavia Pennetta reached world No. 10 in 2009. Schiavone's next event after the French Open was Eastbourne, where she lost in the first-round to Sorana Cîrstea 5–7, 3–6. Schiavone was the 5th seed at Wimbledon, due to the pre-tournament withdrawal of Dementieva, however she lost to Vera Dushevina in the first round 7–6, 5–7, 1–6.

Schiavone reached the quarterfinals of the 2010 Rogers Cup, where she fell to top seed Caroline Wozniacki. Schiavone was the 6th seed at the US Open. She defeated Ayumi Morita, Maria Elena Camerin, 29th seed Alona Bondarenko, and 20th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2003 (where she had lost to Jennifer Capriati). In the quarterfinals, she fell to seven-time Grand Slam singles champion No.3 seed Venus Williams 7–6, 6–4. As the 5th seed, Schiavone reached the semifinals of the 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open, where she fell to 7th seed Elena Dementieva. At the season-ending WTA Tour Championships, Schiavone competed for the first time in her career but was eliminated in the round robin stage.

Schiavone fell to Caroline Wozniacki in three sets, Samantha Stosur in two sets and before defeating Elena Dementieva in what would be Dementieva's final career match. 2011 Schiavone began the year at the 2011 Hopman Cup representing Italy. In singles, Schiavone defeated Great Britain's Laura Robson, but fell to American Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Schiavone retired with an injury against Kristina Mladenovic. Seeded 6th at the 2011 Australian Open, Schiavone advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in her career upon a victory over 23rd seeded and two-time grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. The 4th round encounter lasted nearly five hours (4:44; 47 games in total), and Schiavone saved six match points before finally prevailing 6–4, 1–6, 16–14. With this win, Schiavone rose in the rankings to World No. 4 after the tournament, the highest ranking ever achieved by an Italian woman, improving her own record.

In the quarterfinal against World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, Schiavone was a set and 3–1 up in the second set, but was broken twice by Wozniacki in the same set and twice in the third, to lose 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 after saving three match points. At the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships, Schiavone was seeded 3rd, but fell in the Round of 16 to Kuznetsova. At the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open in Doha, Schiavone fell to Peng Shuai in the Round of 16. She then fell to eventual champion Jelena Dokic at the 2011 Malaysian Open. Schiavone then reached the Round of 16 again at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, falling to Shahar Pe'er. Seeded 5th at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Schiavone reached the Round of 16, losing to Agnieszka Radwańska.

Schiavone began her clay court season with a Round of 16 loss to Radwańska at the 2011 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She then reached the Round of 16 at the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open, falling to Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Following Madrid, Schiavone then reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, losing to World No. 7 Samantha Stosur, in a rematch of the 2010 French Open final. She then lost to World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in three sets during the semifinals of the 2011 Brussels Open, the last tournament before the French Open. Schiavone was the 5th seed and the defending champion at the 2011 French Open. She beat Melanie Oudin, Vesna Dolonts, 29th seed Peng Shuai, 10th seed Jelena Janković, 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and 11th seed Marion Bartoli to reach the final.

In the final, she lost to Li Na, 6–4, 7–6. Schiavone then switched to the grass courts, falling to Agnieszka Radwańska at the 2011 Aegon International in her only Wimbledon warmup. She was the 6th seed at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, losing in the third round to Tamira Paszek of Austria. During the Rogers Cup, Schiavone won her opening round match against Ekaterina Makarova but fell in the third round to Lucie Šafářová The Western & Southern Open saw another early round loss for Schiavone. It took her three sets to defeat Maria Kirilenko in her opening round match. She then lost to former World No. 1 Jelena Janković in a third round three-setter. Just before the US Open Schiavone entered the New Haven Open. She defeated Alexandra Dulgheru and Monica Niculescu in the first two rounds. Her quarterfinal match against Anabel Medina Garrigues was a walkover. Schiavone was defeated by World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets in the semifinals.

Schiavone reached the fourth round of the US Open where she lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. At the China Open Schiavone emerged victorious in the first round against Bojana Jovanovski but was then defeated in the second round by Dominika Cibulková. ^ Darren Saligari (23 January 2011). "Schiavone outlasts Kuznetsova in record-breaking duel". australianopen.com. ^ Italy wins the Fed Cup for the first time, FedCup, 17 September 2006 ^ Newbery, Piers (5 June 2010). "Italy's Francesca Schiavone wins French Open title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 June 2010. ^ Newbery, Piers (4 June 2011). "BBC Sport – French Open: China's Li Na beats Schiavone to win title". BBC Online. Retrieved 4 June 2011. ^ Cambers, Simon. "Li Na of China keeps feet on ground after historic French Open victory". Guardian (London). Retrieved 7 June 2011.

^ "Paszek survives marathon to shock Schiavone". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 June 2011.[dead link] ^ "Francesca Schiavone". Retrieved 4 June 2012. French Open: Francesca Schiavone, Samantha Stosur reach women's final comment PARIS -- On a rainy, windy day 53½ weeks ago, at Roland Garros' cozy, 259-seat Court 8, Samantha Stosur and Francesca Schiavone played each other in a run-of-the-mill, first-round match at the French Open. Stosur, then ranked 32nd, beat Schiavone, then ranked 50th, in straight sets. They'll meet again at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament Saturday. Oh, how the setting and circumstances have changed. This time around, Stosur vs. Schiavone will be for the French Open championship, in the 14,845-capacity main stadium, broadcast live on TV around the world.

In line with the topsy-turvy way this tournament unfolded, it will be the first Grand Slam final for each woman -- only the fifth such double-debut in the 42-year Open era. "No matter what I'm feeling, she's probably thinking it, too, so it's a different, new situation for both of us. Who knows how we're both going to feel? I'm sure there's going to be some nerves out there," Stosur said. "I mean, she hasn't gone through it before, either, so that's probably a little bit comforting." Francesca Schiavone is the first Italian woman to reach a Grand Slam final. Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images The No. 7-seeded Stosur is the first woman from Australia to play for a major tennis title since Wendy Turnbull was the runner-up at the 1980 Australian Open. That's nothing compared to the wait endured by the No. 17-seeded Schiavone's nation: She's the first woman from Italy to reach a Grand Slam final in the sport's century-plus history. "It's beautiful," Schiavone said in Italian. "Very beautiful.

Moving." Neither finalist spent much time on court in Thursday's anticlimactic semifinals. Indeed, Schiavone was sitting on her green changeover bench, toweling off after winning the first set of her match 7-6 (3) in 69 minutes, when her opponent, No. 5 Elena Dementieva , walked up while fighting tears to say she was quitting. Dementieva explained later that, unbeknownst to everybody else, she tore her left calf muscle during her second-round match. "It's very painful to even walk," said Dementieva, who isn't sure whether she'll be at Wimbledon. "Just couldn't continue to play." In the day's second semifinal, Stosur produced her third consecutive victory over a player who's been ranked No. 1, completely overpowering a bewildered Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-2 to add to upsets of 12-time major title winner Serena Williams in the quarterfinals and four-time French Open champion Justine Henin in the fourth round.

"Beating the caliber of players I've played the last three rounds definitely helps me for Saturday's match," said Stosur, a tour-leading 20-2 on clay this season and a 2009 semifinalist at Roland Garros. "I've beaten all those, so why can't I win one more?" Using exactly the same formula that worked against Williams and Henin, Stosur served brilliantly and pounded forehand winners from all angles. She hit seven aces, reaching 120 mph, and seven forehand winners -- numbers one assumes would have been more impressive if the match had lasted more than a mere hour. Afterward, the No. 4-seeded Jankovic alternated between self-admonishment and praise for Stosur. "I wasn't like myself," said Jankovic, the 2008 U.S. Open runner-up.

"I don't even know who that was on the court." Assessing her opponent's skills, Jankovic mentioned Stosur's kick serve -- a high-bouncing offering rare in the women's game, the Australian learned it when she was about 13 -- and her penchant for hitting "run-around" forehands, where she slides over to take whacks at balls headed for her backhand side. "To be honest," Jankovic said, summing up, "she kind of has, like, almost the game of a man. That's what it feels like." She made note of Stosur's muscular build, saying, "She's a strong girl. You can see by looking at her physically. She can hit pretty big, and she has one of the strongest serves in the women's game." Said Stosur's coach, Australia Fed Cup captain David Taylor: "She's a natural athlete. Everyone thinks she spends 10 hours a day in the gym, and a lot of that's just good genetics." Both Stosur and Schiavone attribute a newfound sense of self-confidence with allowing them to make it this far for the first time. "Once you have that belief, that helps everything, doesn't it?

The limitations in women's tennis are up here," Taylor said, pointing to his right temple. "So once you believe, everything is great." The 26-year-old Stosur only once had been beyond the third round in singles at a Grand Slam tournament before last year's French Open run, although she's won two major titles in women's doubles and two in mixed doubles. Her singles game has improved dramatically since she returned to the tour in April 2008 after about nine months away while recovering from Lyme disease, a tick-born illness that can affect a person's joints and nervous system. She was ranked 149th two years ago. "I'd never wish to go through any of that ever again, but in hindsight, who knows what it actually did for me? Since then, I've had the best time of my career, best results, and I'm playing the best," Stosur said. "So maybe looking back, taking all that time out was a good thing." Schiavone, who turns 30 on June 23, reached the quarterfinals on her very first trip to the French Open, in 2001, and then never again made it that far in Paris until now.

But she had only one first-round loss at Roland Garros in that span -- a 6-4, 6-2 setback against Stosur on May 26, 2009, out on Court 8. Why did it take Schiavone until now to reach a Grand Slam final, in her 39th try? And why did it take her until now to make it into the top 10 in the WTA rankings, something she'll do Monday? Schiavone is the oldest player since 1998 to make her debut in the top 10. "Why late? I think everybody [is] different. ... It's my time now," she said. "Maybe before I wasn't ready." Italy's Fed Cup and Davis Cup captain, Corrado Barazzutti, agreed, saying that Schiavone used to fight with herself too much during matches. Now, Barazzutti said, "She plays calmly. ... When she plays well, and she's consistent, she can beat anyone." After taking a moment to absorb the shock of Dementieva's concession, Schiavone repeated the victory celebration she used after knocking off No.

3 Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals, getting down on her knees to plant a kiss on the court, leaving a smudge of rust-colored clay on her chin. So how did the dirt taste? "It was good," she said. "So good." Francesca Schiavone Francesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. Her career high ranking is World No. 6 achieved on June 7, 2010. Schiavone is currently ranked World No. 7. Schiavone employs an all court game and has a very classic approach to her clay game. She uses an extreme eastern grip (same as semi-western forehand grip) on her one handed backhand much like Justine Henin and also has a strong forehand. She is one of only three women in the top 50 to employ a one handed backhand.

Schiavone has won four singles titles on the WTA tour, but has also achieved ten runner-ups in total, eight of them since the autumn of 2005. Schiavone lost her first eight career finals before finally winning her first title in July 2007. She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Flavia Pennetta, and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgium team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy. This match was a doubles match and Kirsten Flipkens partnered Henin and Roberta Vinci partnered Schiavone. In 2009 she won the Fed Cup with Italy for the second time against the USA, and also made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time. In 2010 Italy with Schiavone won the Fed Cup for the third time. In addition, she realized a notable victory during the quarterfinals of the 2008 Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, when she upset World No.

1 and four-time champion Henin 7–6, 7–6. She also beat Amélie Mauresmo in a Fed Cup tie in 2006 when Mauresmo was ranked No. 1. Partnering with Australian Casey Dellacqua, Schiavone was the runner-up in the women's doubles competition at the 2008 French Open. statics Players | WTA Tennis English All videos 1 2015 - QF twice at Antwerp and Istanbul; reached 3r once ( Roland Garros ) and 2r three times; fell 1r 11 times (incl. other three majors) and in qualifying six times. 2014 - Fifteenth straight Top 100 season; SF twice at Baku (l. to Svitolina) and Hong Kong (l. to Lisicki); QF at Istanbul; reached 3r once and 2r four times; fell 1r 17 times (incl. all four majors) and in qualifying twice. 2013 - Another Top 50 season; won one WTA title at Marrakech (d.

Domínguez Lino in final); SF at Seoul (l. to Pavlyuchenkova); QF twice at Acapulco and Birmingham; reached 4r once ( Roland Garros ) and 2r nine times; fell 1r 11 times (incl. other three majors and Charleston - l. to Soler-Espinosa 36 64 76(6); held mp at 6-5 in third set tie-break) and in qualifying twice. 2012 - Another Top 50 season; won one WTA title at Strasbourg (d. Cornet in final); SF at Brisbane (l. to Kanepi); QF at 's-Hertogenbosch; reached 4r once ( Wimbledon ), 3r twice (incl. Roland Garros ) and 2r eight times (incl. Australian Open and Olympics); fell 1r nine times (incl. US Open ). 2011 - Near-Top 10 season (finishing No.11); reached second Grand Slam final at Roland Garros (l. to Li in final); SF twice at Brussels and New Haven (l.

to Wozniacki both times); QF twice (incl. Australian Open - l. to Wozniacki); saved 6mp to beat Kuznetsova 64 16 1614 in Australian Open 4r in 4h44min, longest ever Grand Slam match and second-longest overall match in Open Era - and at 30y/7m was oldest player ever to complete Grand Slam QF collection; reached 4r three times (incl. US Open ), 3r five times (incl. Wimbledon ) and 2r five times; fell 1r three times; made Top 5 debut on January 31 (after Australian Open ; rose from No.7 to No.4 - Italian ranking record for women, and tied Italian record for men - Adriano Panatta got to No.4 on ATP World Tour). 2010 - Breakthrough first Top 10 season (finishing No.7); won first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros (d.

Stosur in final - first Italian woman ever to win a Grand Slam title); made Top 10 debut afterwards on June 7 (rose from No.17 to No.6 - second Italian to reach Top 10 after Pennetta, since joined by Errani); also won another WTA title at Barcelona (d. Vinci in final); SF twice at Auckland (l. to Pennetta) and Tokyo [Pan Pacific] (l. to Dementieva); QF three times (incl. US Open - l. to V.Williams); reached 4r once ( Australian Open ), 3r three times and 2r five times; fell 1r six times (incl. Wimbledon ); fell in RR stage at WTA Finals (went 1-2). 2009 - Another Top 20 season (finishing No.17); won one WTA title at Moscow (d. Govortsova in final); runner-up twice at Prague (l. to Bammer in final) and Osaka (l. to Stosur in final); SF twice at Barcelona (l. to Vinci) and 's-Hertogenbosch (l.

to Wickmayer); QF once ( Wimbledon - l. to Dementieva); reached 4r once ( US Open ), 3r twice and 2r six times; fell 1r 11 times (incl. other two majors) and in qualifying once; won one WTA doubles title. 2008 - Another Top 30 season; SF at Dubai (l. to Dementieva); QF three times; reached 4r once, 3r three times ( Australian Open , Roland Garros and Olympics) and 2r nine times (incl. US Open and Wimbledon - l. to Medina Garrigues 36 75 97; held 2mp at 63 54); fell 1r five times. 2007 - Another Top 30 season; won one WTA title at Bad Gastein (d. Meusburger in final); SF at Zürich (l. to Golovin); QF twice; reached 3r three times (incl. Roland Garros ) and 2r 11 times (incl. other three majors); fell 1r five times.

2006 - Another Top 20 season (finishing No.15); runner-up three times at Sydney (l. to Henin), Amelia Island (l. to Petrova in final) and Luxembourg (l. to A.Bondarenko in final); QF five times; reached 4r twice ( Australian Open and Roland Garros ), 3r twice (incl. US Open ) and 2r seven times; fell 1r four times (incl. Wimbledon ); won three WTA doubles titles; made doubles Top 10 debut on October 16 (after Moscow). 2005 - Another Top 20 season (finishing No.13); runner-up three times at Bali (l. to Davenport in final), Moscow (l. to Pierce in final) and Hasselt (l. to Clijsters in final); SF at Los Angeles (l. to Clijsters); QF five times; reached 4r once ( Roland Garros ), 3r four times (incl. Australian Open and US Open ) and 2r three times; fell 1r four times (incl. Wimbledon ); won one WTA doubles title.

2004 - Another Top 20 season (finishing No.19); SF twice at Sydney (l. to Mauresmo) and Warsaw (l. to Kuznetsova); QF seven times (incl. Olympics - l. to Myskina); reached 4r three times (incl. Roland Garros and US Open ), 3r once and 2r four times (incl. other two majors); fell 1r six times; won one WTA doubles title. 2003 - First Top 20 season (finishing No.20); runner-up at Canberra (l. to Shaughnessy in final); SF twice at Stanford and Los Angeles (l. to Clijsters both times); QF five times (incl. US Open - l. to Capriati); reached 3r twice (incl. Wimbledon ) and 2r seven times (incl. Roland Garros ); fell 1r six times (incl. Australian Open ); made Top 20 debut on October 6 (rose from No.25 to No.20).

2002 - Another Top 50 season; QF twice; reached 4r once ( US Open ), 3r three times (incl. Australian Open , Roland Garros ) and 2r nine times (incl. Wimbledon ); fell 1r seven times and in qualifying once. 2001 - First Top 50 season; SF at Auckland (l. to Tu); QF six times (incl. Roland Garros - l. to Hingis); reached 3r once and 2r six times (incl. Wimbledon ); fell 1r eight times (incl. other two majors) and in qualifying twice; made Top 50 debut on June 11 (after Roland Garros ; rose from No.51 to No.35); won one WTA doubles title. 2000 - First Top 100 season; runner-up at Tashkent (l. to Tulyaganova in final); reached 3r once ( US Open ) and 2r once; fell 1r once and in qualifying 10 times (incl.

Roland Garros and Wimbledon ); made Top 100 debut on September 11 (after US Open ; rose from No.108 to No.76). 1999 - Played first WTA main draw at Rome, falling 1r (as qualifier); fell in qualifying twice (incl. US Open ). 1998 - Played first WTA qualifying at Rome and Palermo; won one doubles title on ITF Circuit. 1997 - Continued to play on ITF Circuit. 1996 - Played first events of career on ITF Circuit in Italy. SINGLES Winner (7): 2016 - Rio de Janeiro; 2013 - Marrakech; 2012 - Strasbourg; 2010 - Barcelona, Roland Garros ; 2009 - Moscow; 2007 - Bad Gastein.

Finalist (11): 2011 - Roland Garros ; 2009 - Prague, Osaka; 2006 - Sydney, Amelia Island, Luxembourg; 2005 - Bali, Moscow, Hasselt; 2003 - Canberra; 2000 - Tashkent. DOUBLES Winner (7): 2009 - Tokyo [Pan Pacific] (w/Kleybanova); 2006 - Dubai, Luxembourg, Moscow (all w/Peschke); 2005 - Doha (w/Molik); 2004 - Warsaw (w/Farina Elia); 2001 - Sopot (w/Kruger).

Finalist (9): 2014 - Florianopolis (w/Soler-Espinosa); 2012 - Barcelona (w/Pennetta); 2008 - Roland Garros (w/Dellacqua); 2007 - Zürich (w/Raymond); 2006 - Rome (w/Peschke); 2005 - Filderstadt (w/Peschke); 2004 - Paris [Indoors] (w/Farina Elia); 2003 - Warsaw (w/Daniilidou), Stanford (w/Cho). ADDITIONAL Francesca Schiavone Italian Tennis player World Sport Star Pics Francesca Schiavone Italian Tennis player Francesca Schiavone (Italian pronunciation: born 23 June 1980 in Milan) is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. Schiavone is currently ranked World No. 6.

Francesca Schiavone Elena Dementieva stuns Roland Garros by pulling out of semi-final | Sport | The Guardian Elena Dementieva stuns Roland Garros by pulling out of semi-final • Francesca Schiavone the first Italian woman in grand slam final • Italian will play Samantha Stosur for French Open title Francesca Schiavone celebrates her victory. Photograph: Felipe Trueba/EPA Kevin Mitchell at Roland Garros Thursday 3 June 2010 11.56 EDT First published on Thursday 3 June 2010 11.56 EDT Close This article is 6 years old Elena Dementieva stunned Roland Garros when she retired with a torn calf muscle after losing the first set of her semi-final against the Italian Francesca Schiavone, and says she could miss Wimbledon. "I'm not going to Eastbourne [which starts on 14 June] because of this injury," she said.

"I have to withdraw because I really need some time, and I'm not sure if I will be able to play Wimbledon." Schiavone could not contain her emotions when it became clear, after she had won the tie-break and Dementieva was suddenly leaving the court, that she was guaranteed a place in Saturday's final against Samantha Stosur, who beat Elena Dementieva . She fell to her knees and kissed the ground, oblivious, perhaps, to the predicament of her beaten opponent. Dementieva had struggled almost from the start and hit 24 unforced errors in a protracted first set, which lasted 69 minutes. "It's very painful to even walk," Dementieva said. "I got it after my second match and aggravated it here. Every morning when I woke up it was painful to make a first step, but I really wanted to play because it's a very special tournament for me. I was pushing myself very hard to get through the pain. It was a bit too much. I couldn't really move. I was trying to fight it because it is a very special moment for everyone, and also for myself.

"I was very close to stopping in my third-round match against Aleksandra [Wozniak], but I was able to win that one and then I had a day off. It was getting a little bit better because I didn't practise at all. But, especially on clay, it just was getting worse. I feel very disappointed because, in the game, I was feeling in good shape. I did my best. What can I do? Injuries are part of the game." Schiavone, the 29-year-old No17 seed who had never previously been past the quarter-finals of a grand slam event, becomes the first Italian woman to reach a grand slam final. She has been in the world top 50 since 2001, but has only three singles titles to her name. Two of those came in the past 12 months – the Barcelona Open in April and the Kremlin Cup in October 2009.

Question: At which event, in 2010, was Francesca Schiavone the first Italian woman to win a tennis Grand Slam event in singles?
Answer: French Open