TENNIS FRENCH OPEN:IF THE French, like the British, remain incapable of winning their own showcase tennis tournament, not a soul in Paris will begrudge Sara Errani victory if she beats Maria Sharapova tomorrow to win the women's final for Italy for the second time in three years.
But Errani’s devastated victim in the first semi-final, Sam Stosur, must be sick of the sight of Italians at Roland Garros.
In 2010, Parisians adopted Francesca Schiavone, a muscular little Roman from nowhere, when she collapsed on her back on Court Philippe Chatrier, eyes closed tight and crying tears of joy, after beating the bang-in-form Australian to become the first Italian to win the title.
They loved her even more in her losing final against Li Na last year, and reluctantly waved her goodbye in the fourth round this time.
Yesterday on the same stage, Errani defeated Stosur, again favoured to go all the way, in an even tougher contest and could not be in a better frame of mind for her day of days.
Sharapova, who defeated Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-3 in the second semi-final and will start a huge favourite, watched Errani’s match and said: “She’s playing such good tennis, a great clay-court player.”
Errani, seeded 21, three places better than her world ranking, is in the form of her life and was magnificent in coming back from a second-set pummelling by the muscular sixth seed – who had not dropped a set in six hours getting this far – to win 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in just over two hours.
Errani composed herself to tell the packed assemblage: “I’ve no words. It’s incredible. Was very windy, one side easy, one more difficult. I won last two games against the wind. No words. Amazing feeling. Yes, maybe [Schiavone’s win inspired her]. She’s an incredible player. I can’t believe I am in the final.”
Hers is already the story of the tournament. She won 16 successive matches on clay earlier in the year, picking up titles in Acapulco, Barcelona and Budapest, and was buzzing from day one here.
Getting to the final she became the first woman to beat two former champions in the same year – Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova – as well as the 10th seed, Angelique Kerber, before ruining the US title-holder Stosur’s championships.
The Australian hurried from the court, knowing 48 unforced errors, nearly half of them in the third set, had cost her the match after a gilded campaign. She fought all the way to the line, from 0-3 down in the third, but seemed shaken after a double fault in the seventh game. Errani finished it standing tall in the shot, a solid forehand from the centre of the court.
In a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon final, the second semi-final pitched opponents of more equal stature, and the seedings did not lie. Sharapova, seeded two, has been imperious for most of the tournament.
She took the first set comfortably, 6-3, then broke Kvitova straight away on resuming, and finished with an ace. By reaching the final, she is returned to number one in the world, an achievement that induced a broad smile. “It’s amazing to be in the final,” she said.
“This was my third time in the semis here. It’s pretty special [being number one again]. A few years ago after shoulder surgery I had a ranking over 100.”
The French Open is the only major to have eluded Sharapova, the world’s highest-paid female athlete.
The Russian won Wimbledon at age 17 in 2004, and also took the 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open.
Guardian Service
