No. 17 seed, Francesca Schiavone of Italy, proved once again that experience can overcome youth as she took out No. 3 seed, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-2, 6-3 in the Quarterfinals of the French Open in Paris.
It was a dominating performance by the 29 year-old Francesca, the oldest woman left in the field, as 19 year-old Caroline, the youngest quarterfinalist, struggled to find her forehand. Both players had trouble holding serve, but Francesca’s nerves held out better as she kept Caroline running corner to corner. Francesca’s offense eventually won out over Caroline’s defense.
This will be the first Grand Slam semifinal appearance for the veteran Francesca, and she is the first Italian woman to reach the French Open semifinals since 1954. She is also the first Italian woman to reach the semifinals at any Grand Slam tournament in the Open era, which began in 1968.
Francesca previously was 0-3 in Grand Slam quarterfinals in her 12-year career, and this was her first quarterfinal appearance in the French Open since 2001. After ending the match with an overhead winner, she got down and kissed the court.
