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The 2011 French Open women's singles tournament is over and with Na Li the new champion as she defeated Francesca Schiavone on Saturday in the championship match.
Schiavone was looking to defend her title and to consolidate her position as the Queen of Clay while Li was looking to take down her first ever Grand Slam title.
The match ended at 6-4, 7-6 in Li's favor and while the final set was close the second set tiebreaker was not as Li took it down 7-0, hitting the dirt in jubilation after winning the final point .
Li made the Australian Open final earlier this year but fell in three sets to Kim Clijsters of Belgium. With the French Open title, Li proves herself as a Grand Slam champion while Schiavone will still remain a feared player on clay in the future.
Li's draw from the fourth round was incredibly difficult and China's top player, the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam, proved beyond doubt that she was the best player at Roland Garros this season. Li eliminated Petra Kvitova in the fourth round, Victoria Azarenka in the quarters, and Maria Sharapova in the semifinals ahead of winning the championship match against the returning champ.
Kvitova, Azarenka, and Sharapova all won titles on clay heading into the 2011 French Open.
Last season Li fell in the third round of the 2011 French Open and with her winning the title outright this season she looks as though she may jump into fourth with the new rankings (unofficial). Entering the French Open Li was ranked 7th but she looks great to jump over Samantha Stosur, Schiavone, and Azarenka.
