Schiavone becomes first Italian to make a Grand Slam semis; calls it her most special moment
Schiavone becomes first Italian to make a Grand Slam semis; calls it her most special moment
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Francesca Schiavone insisted words could not describe the emotion she felt at reaching her first grand slam semi-final after producing arguably the most complete performance of this year's French Open to stun Caroline Wozniacki.
Roland Garros saw its queen dethroned when Justine Henin suffered a shock defeat yesterday but 17th seed Schiavone played like her heir apparent on Philippe Chatrier Court this afternoon, her all-court game simply too much for teenager Wozniacki.
Schiavone won 6-2 6-3 in one hour 20 minutes to become the first Italian woman to reach the last four of a major in the Open era.
The 29-year-old got past the first week of each of the previous three grand slams before arriving in Paris but she had not been in the last eight at Roland Garros for nine years.
So she struggled to contain herself when the moment of triumph arrived today, dropping to her knees and kissing the clay.
Comparing the feeling to a "heart attack", she said: "I think in that moment you remember many things from when you were young.
"It's special because it is your space, it is your time, it is your opportunity.
"I felt alone, but with all the love around.
"It's like if I ask you, 'How did you feel when you married?' You say, 'It's not easy to explain'."
Few players can have reached a Grand Slam semi-final having waited so long to do so.
This is Schiavone's 39th attempt in total but she insisted she never gave up on her "dream".
"The truth is that I always dream," she said. "One of my goals was this.
"But to arrive is different. To live every step before arriving in a semi-final is something.
"I don't have many words to say, because it is emotion, it is feeling, it is something that is coming from the heart.
"I lived some good moments and some bad moments last year and some years ago.
"I think the bad moments helped me a lot to grow up and to learn many things that today, when I was playing, I was thinking about."
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