Schiavone creates history in Paris
Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title after defeating Australian favourite Samantha Stosur in the French Open final on Saturday. The 29-year-old from Milan is the first Italian woman to lift a Grand Slam trophy and is the first Italian player overall to play a Grand Slam final since Adriano Panatta won Paris in 1976.
Schiavone dominated on the clay against the seventh-seeded Stosur, who reached the semi-finals a year ago. Schiavone, seeded 17th, rallied from 4-1 down in the second set and triumphed on the first of four match point in the tiebreaker.
The best previous result at Roland Garros by an Italian woman was in 1954 when Silvia Lazzarino lost a semi-final against Maureen Connolly.The Italian will rise to a number six ranking according to the WTA, taking over as top Italian. Schiavone was playing the event for the tenth time.
History Imminent For Nadal
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal won the French Open for the fifth time in six years on Sunday with a crushing defeat of Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to re-establish himself as the best on the clay. The Spaniard, beaten in 2009 by Soderling in the fourth round, becomes only the second man to win five French crowns.