China’s Li Na beat last year’s champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4 7-6 in the French Open final on Saturday to become the first player from an Asian nation to win a grand slam singles title.
Sixth seed Li, who lost the Australian Open final earlier this year, grabbed Italian fifth seed Schiavone’s tactics sheet and ripped it apart in a confident display of power and accuracy.
Li, who beat hard hitters Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova en route to the final, built her success on her flat baseline strokes and accurate serve as she dictated the points and sent Schiavone scurrying around the red dirt arena.
Schiavone struggled to hit her stride but grew in confidence in the second set as Li wobbled having moved a break ahead.
However, the Italian’s fingers were ripped away from the trophy in emphatic style as Li raced through the tiebreak without dropping a point.
“I was up 4-2 and she tried to come back and I thought ‘ok you’ve got to stand up’, and I made it”, Li, who fell backwards to the clay and put her hands to her face in celebration, said courtside. “I was nervous but I did not want to show it, I was cheating a little bit.”
Schiavone, who was bidding to become the sixth woman to retain the Roland Garros title since tennis turned professional in 1968, put on a brave face.
“It’s really tough, but I have to say congratulations to Li Na because she improved this year and she played really well today,” the 30-year-old Milanese said.
Right from the start Schiavone knew she was in for a scrap as Li, showing great composure, threatened to break in the opening game on a hot day. A netted volley and smart play from Li put Schiavone under pressure on her own serve in the fifth game and a wide forehand sparked the first break as the Australian Open runner-up went 3-2 ahead.
Schiavone doggedly stayed in the set but Li allowed few chances, taking the opener in 39 minutes in which she gave up just five points on serve.
Li showed remarkable tenacity by breaking immediately at the start of the second set with more lusty blows and then saving a break point against her in the following game. Schiavone tried desperately to get a foothold, fending off a numerous break points.
Those wasted opportunities looked like proving costly for Li’s hopes of claiming the title as she suddenly looked rattled and blazed a forehand wide to allow a pumped-up Schiavone to haul herself back to 4-4, much to the delight of her vocal fans. With Li serving at 5-6 and the crowd eagerly anticipating a deciding set Schiavone lost her cool when she ranted over a line call, pointing angrily at a mark in the clay.
