Francesca Schiavone of Italy is into her first Grand Slam final after Elena Dementieva retired following the first set of their semifinal match at the 2010 French Open in Paris.
Elena came out onto the court with both thighs wrapped, but seemed to be playing normally at the beginning of the match. With one break each, the 1st set went into a tie-break, which Francesca won 7-3.
At that point, Dementieva walked off the court shaking her head. She went up to a surprised Francesca, sitting in her changeover chair, and offered a concession handshake.
There was no immediate word on the nature of any injury for Elena. She didn’t seek treatment from a trainer during the 69-minute first set.
This is a big missed opportunity for Elena. With the top three seeds knocked out of the tournament, this was a chance for Elena to win her first Grand Slam title. But now it becomes an opportunity for Francesca to win her first. Francesca has never been to a semifinal match final in a Grand Slam. Now she is in the final. She could hardly believe it when Elena told her she was retiring, and she kissed the ground as she had after her quarterfinal win.
The 17th seeded Francesca will play the winner of the 2nd semifinal match between No. 4 seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and No. 7 seed Samantha Stosur of Australia.
