Clash of cultures
Such a clash of playing cultures is just what you want from a final, an opposition of playing styles on the greatest stage of all. Li and Schiavone are big match players too, so neither is likely to crumble under the pressure as has been the case with more mentally fragile stars in the past. A three-set classic is quite plausible, and with the weather set fair, the fans on Philippe Chatrier, and watching on television around the world, should be in for a feast of world-class tennis.
Li Na has enjoyed a near-perfect tournament so far. She started slowly, conceding a set to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic in the first round before settling with straight-sets wins over Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain and Sorana Cirstea of Romania.
Then the real tests came thick and fast. Petra Kvitova, the ninth seed and many a pundit's tip for the title, was cut down in three sets. With Kvitova gone, a new favourite, no.4 seed Victoria Azarenka stepped up in the quarter-finals, and fell to Li's clean-hitting, nerveless game, this time in straight sets.
Finally, in the semi-finals, Li made short work of Maria Sharapova, the seventh seed and, you've guessed it, most people's tip for the crown.
So why does Li Na, the first Chinese woman to appear in a French Open final, get underestimated quite so much and quite so often? She is, after all, the sixth seed. She did, after all, reach the Australian Open final earlier this year.
Part of the explanation comes from her game, which is solidly unremarkable, yet marvellously efficient. It is hard to pick out one of her panoply of shots as being outstanding, yet it is equally hard to find a weakness in her game. It is this subtle blend of consistency and cunning that has seen her breeze past more lauded opponents and arrive at the brink of history.
Schiavone's Parisian love affair
The only person left who can prevent Li from writing her name in the annals is Francesca Schiavone, and in the words of the song, the defending champion certainly loves Paris in the springtime. She loves the sunshine, the crowds, and above all, that lovely red dirt. Prone to lying prone and placing a tender kiss on the clay to celebrate her victories, Schiavone has been getting down and dirty again this year.
She lost a mere ten games in routine wins over Melanie Oudin (USA), Vesna Dolonts (Russia) and Shuai Peng (China) to get her defence under way. Tenth seed Jelena Jankovic was a whole different proposition though, and Schiavone had to pull out a gutsy performance to edge the Serb 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Huge hitting Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia posed her the toughest challenge of all, but back on her beloved Chatrier after a couple of matches exiled on Lenglen, Francesca prevailed in three long sets, before blowing Marion Bartoli of France away in the semi-finals.
Being a reigning champion changes a player, and Schiavone is most definitely not the same person she was last year. Then, she was just one of a bunch of contenders, now she feels at home, playing in front of crowds that adore her for the way she embraced her victory. Now she feels she can draw on that support, and intimidate opponents with her all-court game.
Schiavone plays the sort of tennis Parisians love, her delicious one-handed backhand reminding them of another old flame, Justine Henin. More extravagant than the one-dimensional, two-fisted hard-hitters, she has more variety too and will need to use it if she is to kiss the hallowed clay one more time this year.
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Schiavone vs Li
Saturday 04 June 2011 at 15:00 (GMT +2)
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