Na Li is the biggest winner at the 2011 French Open however Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Marion Bartoli have things to be happy about.
The 2011 French Open is officially over on the women's side with Na Li defeating Francesca Schiavone to capture her first Grand Slam title.
Li looks to be a force at Wimbledon this summer as well especially if neither Serena Williams nor Venus Williams are in the draw nor at their best if playing.
While there is only one winner in a Grand Slam tournament you can still identify other players who 'won' in the sense that they made some progress at this point in their careers. From this point of view the 2011 French Open showcased several winners including Marion Bartoli, Maria Sharapova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Petra Kvitova.
Winners
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli made the semifinals of the 2011 French Open and while she was not close to winning the event the French player gave her home fans a lot to cheer about in racking up five wins in the singles draw.
That will help make her a more marketable athlete in her home country and her result at the French Open over the past couple of weeks was a career best.
Bartoli had gone out in the fourth round or prior in her ten previous efforts from the French Open and making the semifinals this year should see her into the top 10.
Her draws are going to be a little easier due to that and it will be interesting to see if the French star gets ambitious and puts the pedal to the metal or whether she feels a sense of accomplishment and relaxes with a huge chunk of ranking points tucked away until Roland Garros 2012.
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova has to be disappointed with not claiming the title at Roland Garros however she was not the best player in the tournament. She entered the 2011 French Open after a title in Rome at the Premier Mandatory level and the Russian, despite losing to Na Li in the semis, has all kinds of momentum at this point.
Sharapova, in making the semifinals, has proven that she's a Grand Slam contender once again. The former world number one had not made a Grand Slam semifinal since her return from shoulder injury in 2009 and that led some to question, including Sharapova herself, what exactly her status is for the majors.
Sharapova has answered that question and heading into Wimbledon, she is the outright favorite with several sportsbooks (ie. bet365).
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is the highest ranked teenager on tour at the moment, a title she'll hang on to until she turns 20 years old on July 3rd, 2011. The Russian made her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2011 French Open where she lost to Francesca Schiavone in a close third set.
Pavlyuchenkova came closer to making the final at the French Open than some might realize and that might be leaving her feeling a bit downtrodden.
However time is definitely on the 19 year old's side as she continues to approach the top 10 on tour and if she turns in a good Wimbledon (quarters again?) then a top 10 ranking will be imminent.
Pavlyuchenkova has developed a little bit slower than Caroline Wozniacki but the Russian may prove to be better in the longer term.
Petra Kvitova
Petra Kvitova might have been the second best player in the Roland Garros draw the past couple of weeks. That is hidden by the fact that the Czech player fell in the tournament's fourth round but the bottom line is she was the only highly talented player to take Na Li to a third set in the entire tournament (Barbara Zahlavova Strycova took Li to a third set as well in the first round however Strycova is barely in the top 50).
Kvitova, following up on her title from Madrid, equalled her best French Open result and her status as 6th favorite for Wimbledon may under- rate the semifinalist at the All England Club from last year.
Smaller Winners from the French Open
Other players who have some momentum right now include Andrea Petkovic, a quarterfinalist from the French Open, Ekaterina Makarova, a fourth rounder, and Rebecca Marino, a third rounder.
Each player had a career best French Open and looks to become more dangerous in the longer term, especially Marino who is still just 20 and made the third round of the French in her first appearance.
