Maiden Voyage: Preview of the 2010 French Open Women’s Final

#7 Samantha Stosur (Australia) vs. #17 Francesca Schiavone (Italy)
Head to Head: Stosur leads 4-1

It has been a French Open full of firsts, so it is appropriate that when the dust settles in Paris on Saturday, either Sam Stosur or Francesca Schiavone will be a Grand Slam champion for the first time.

While Stosur is looking to become the first Australian female to win a Slam since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won Wimbledon in 1980, she is already the first Australian French Open women’s finalist since Wendy Turnbull lost to Chris Evert in the 1979 final.

Meanwhile, Schiavone is rewriting the Italian women’s tennis record books with practically every swing of her racquet this week. When she slid past Caroline Wozniacki to earn a semifinal berth, she became the first female Italian in the Open Era to achieve that level of success. After her victory over Elena Dementieva in the semifinal, she is now the only woman in the history of Italian tennis to reach the final of the Grand Slam.

But as each prepares to play the biggest match of their respective careers, the quest for milestones will have to take a back seat to what has enabled each to advance to the finals: the hunger for victory and the ability to endure the mind-bending pressure of high-stakes tennis at this elite level.

Stosur’s remarkable run to the finals started in a little corner of the quarter of the draw that most people had earmarked as either Serena Williams’ or Justine Henin’s to win. While the Aussie came to Paris with a 14-2 clay court record to go with her 2009 semifinal appearance at Roland Garros, not many had the foresight to envision her going all the way to the final.

But when Stosur battled past four-time French Open champion Justine Henin in three grueling sets, then calmly wiggled out of a match-point-down situation to defeat Serena Williams in the quarters, she became the odds-on favorite to grab the title.

“After the match against Justine, I really, I think, showed myself something there. And then yesterday’s match (against Serena) even more,” said Stosur.

A shellacking of a bamboozled Jelena Jankovic in the semis has served to add to the queue that is currently forming outside the Samantha Stosur bandwagon.

Mary Jo Fernandez told ESPN viewers that she thinks we’ll be seeing Stosur in “a lot more Grand Slam finals,” and commentator Darren Cahill commented that Stosur had a champions ability to “flat-line” her emotions. “She’s all business out there,” he added.

But Schiavone, the spunky specimen from Milan, Italy, is forming a bandwagon of her own.

Her zesty brand of clay court tennis has captivated fans throughout the tournament. Since arriving in Paris, Schiavone has reeled off eleven consecutive sets by playing boldly when the situation calls for it. But she’s also demonstrated her experience on the dirt by constructing intelligent points with heavy spins, wide angles, and some very lovely touches of finesse.

The 29-year-old Italian also has a penchant for embracing the moment. When asked about why success was coming to her so late in her career, her reply spoke volumes about the quality of her mental approach to the sport. “Why late? … I think it’s my time now. Maybe before I wasn’t ready. Maybe before I had the chance I didn’t catch, so I think now I have just to live and to keep going to work like I did for many years.”

Schiavone – the consensus underdog in this match – will no doubt need all the belief she can get against Stosur. She has lost the last four times they have played while not capturing a single set. And Stosur’s path to the final is already becoming the stuff of legend. Throughout the week the muscular Australian has demonstrated her ability to dominate her opponents with her top-notch serve (featuring the kick serve that has been giving all her opponents fits) and her powerful – and accurate – forehand.

When they begin play on Philippe Chatrier on Saturday, many feel that Stosur’s heavy topspin serve and groundstrokes could be a potential mismatch against Schiavone’s one-handed backhand – but Schiavone’s tremendous ability to employ variety and consistently put balls in play could take Stosur out of her comfort zone.

Oddsmakers and experts currently favor Stosur for the title, but we must keep in mind that as recently as a week ago, neither of these women was more than a blip on most pundit’s radar.

In other words, don’t consult the script, because it’s already been burned.

Ironically, two players who unceremoniously met in the first round at Roland Garros in 2009 are getting ready to play the final this year.

While each is hungry to win, the special feeling of being a part of such a huge final isn’t lost on them. “Win or lose, I want to enjoy it and make the most of the opportunity, because you never know if it’s going to happen again,” said Stosur.

“Now I start to feel that it is really big history,” said Schiavone.

Chris Oddo is a freelance tennis writer and blogger who is based in San Francisco, California. He is a regular commenter at OTB under the moniker The Fan Child. You can follow his blog at http://thefanchild.blogspot.com.

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