Grand Slam
June 6, 2010
In a sensational finish, Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam title on Saturday, beating favorite Samantha Stosur in the French Open final in Paris, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).
Rallying from 4-1 down in the second set, Schiavone, who was seeded 17th, took the clinching tiebreaker with a series of brilliant shots. The only other time the title has been won by a woman not seeded in the top 10 was in 1933.
Both Schiavone and the Australian Stosur were first-time Grand Slam finalists.
The 29-year-old from Milan is the oldest woman to win her first Grand Slam title since Ann Jones won Wimbledon in 1969 at 30. She's also the first Italian Grand Slam champion since Adriano Panatta won the French Open men's title in 1976.
In addition to the silver Suzanne Lenglen trophy, Schiavone takes home a check for 1.12 million euro ($1.35 million).
Author: Martin Kuebler (AP/dpa)
Editor: Nigel Tandy