Stosur, who put out four-times champion Justine Henin and world number one Serena Williams en route to the last-four, sauntered to a 6-1 6-2 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier under clear blue sky and warm sunshine. She becomes the first Australian female to reach a Grand Slam final since Wendy Turnbull in 1980.
“I’m very pleased and so happy I’ll have an even better memory than last year,” said the 26-year-old who lost to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the 2009 semi-final here. “I feel ready to go and win the title. Saturday would be as good a day as any to win it.”
Seventh-seed Stosur has been the form player on clay-courts this year and she oozed confidence against the disappointing Jankovic, whose buttercup yellow dress was far more dazzling than her tennis. The 25-year-old Jankovic, still looking for her first Grand Slam title, did not strike one winner in a first set which whistled by in 24 minutes and which she spent mostly trying to fend off the heavy-hitting Australian.
Stosur suffered her only lapse in the second game of the second set when a double-fault gave Jankovic three break points, the second of which she converted with a forehand winner. It was only a temporary blip however as she rattled off the next six games.
The Australian’s crushing win put her into her first Grand Slam title at the age of 26, almost four years younger than Evonne Cawley was in 1980.
Dementieva quits, sends Schiavone into final
Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam singles final when Elena Dementieva retired after one set of their semi-final. Schiavone, 29, had just taken the first set on a tiebreak when a tearful Dementieva walked over to shake hands.
Looking stunned, the Schiavone went down on her knees and kissed the red clay on Court Philippe Chatrier before holding her hands aloft to the crowd. Russian fifth-seed Dementieva, who had been struggling with a left thigh injury earlier in the event, won the first two points of the tiebreak but then lost the next six. She made one winning volley to save a set point but pulled down the peak of her sun shade and appeared to be crying when she hit a backhand long to give Schiavone the set.
“This is fantastic,” said Schiavone. “I still don’t know what’s going on but I’ve made history for Italy and myself and I’m going to enjoy the final.”
Published in the Express Tribune, June 4th, 2010.
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