Francesca Schiavone makes her first ever Grand Slam final

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Francesca Schiavone was not being discussed as a major title contender at the beginning of the week, but has emerged as an unexpected star here in Paris. Schiavone has made it through to her first ever Grand Slam final here at Roland Garros, by defeating Elena Dementieva in the semi finals, setting up a final against Samantha Stosur.

Dementieva was unable to finish playing today, due to an ankle injury that she had sustained in the second round against Anabel Medina Garrigues. Schiavone managed to carve out a 7-6 first set lead before a tearful Dementieva admitted defeat, and became the first woman to ever retire at such a late stage of the tournament.

Schiavone’s achievement is not merely personal; she has just become the first ever Italian woman to reach the final of a Grand Slam since the Open Era began. She will be delighted to have achieved this feat here in Paris, on the clay courts that suit her game so well.

Unfortunately, Schiavone has a serious task ahead of her in the final. Stosur has been in deadly form this week, and absolutely thrashed Jelena Jankovic today. On her way to the final, Stosur has also knocked out four-time Roland Garros winner Justine Henin, and the world number one, Serena Williams.

The final looks set to be a great match. Neither Stosur nor Schiavone have ever played in a Grand Slam final before, and this perhaps adds a little bit of spice to the match. Whatever the result turns out to be, we can expect to witness a hard-fought battle between two worthy finalists.

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