0-7 Schiavone Hopes 8 the Charm at WTA Luxembourg
Posted on October 1, 2006LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg -- Having finished runner-up in all seven of her prior Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles final appearances, Francesca Schiavone will have another shot at hoisting her first trophy on Sunday, as she faces Alona Bondarenko at the FORTIS Championships Luxembourg.
Schiavone, at No.5 the lone seed winning through to the semifinals after a shock string of upsets mid-week, split sets with Polish phenom Agnieszka Radwanska but re-summoned her fighting spirit in a big way in the deciding third set, storming her way into the Tier II final with a 75 26 61 victory.
"I learned a lot of things, the most important being that even if you lose the second set, you can turn it around," Schiavone said. "I lost some energy in one service game early in the second and she broke me and it was tough to fight. So I decided I would focus on coming back at the beginning of the third set."
"This was the best tournament of my career," said Radwanska, who had scored impressive wins over Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva en route to her first semifinal. "But I was even tired in the warm-up. I tried everything I could. It was a good match and in the end I lost. But I'm still really happy."
In the day's first semifinal, Bondarenko won a battle of unseeded players, with a come-from-behind 63 57 75 victory over Kveta Peschke. The young Ukrainian was trailing 5-2 in the third set and even faced match point, but kept her cool and snuck out the win. Like Schiavone, Bondarenko has been to a final, but has left empty-handed; she was a runner-up at the Tier IV event in Hyderabad last year.
"At 5-2 down in the third, I just started thinking I had to play better, that I could do it," Bondarenko said. "I think she got a little nervous, missed a few balls and the momentum quickly moved to my side."
"She just started playing better," Peschke commented. "At the beginning of the third set she was making a lot more easy mistakes, and at 5-2 I thought things looked good, but I guess I was wrong. This is tennis, though. There are lots of ups and downs. Only the top players seem to have more ups than downs. But it was a good match anyway. I have good memories from this tournament every year, and if I'm still playing next year I'll definitely be back."
Schiavone and Bondarenko have played once previously, earlier this season at Roland Garros, where Schiavone beat a 61st-ranked Bondarenko, 63 64. Now ranked No.62 in the world, Bondarenko is projected to make her Top 50 debut on Monday with her Luxembourg run; in fact, she could even crack the Top 40.
"I hope to put it all out on the court tomorrow: my game and my personality," Schiavone said. "I'm so happy to be in the final. At the beginning of the week, when I saw all the players in the draw, I didn't think I'd reach the final."
"I have played Schiavone in Roland Garros and I lost," Bondarenko stated. "She is tough, we'll see tomorrow."
This is the 11th staging of the Luxembourg event. Kim Clijsters is a five-time champion here, but isn't entered this year due to a left wrist injury. Former winners also include Jennifer Capriati (2000), Martina Navratilova (1993, 1994) and Jana Novotna (1991, 1992).
-- WTA
Schiavone, at No.5 the lone seed winning through to the semifinals after a shock string of upsets mid-week, split sets with Polish phenom Agnieszka Radwanska but re-summoned her fighting spirit in a big way in the deciding third set, storming her way into the Tier II final with a 75 26 61 victory.
"I learned a lot of things, the most important being that even if you lose the second set, you can turn it around," Schiavone said. "I lost some energy in one service game early in the second and she broke me and it was tough to fight. So I decided I would focus on coming back at the beginning of the third set."
"This was the best tournament of my career," said Radwanska, who had scored impressive wins over Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva en route to her first semifinal. "But I was even tired in the warm-up. I tried everything I could. It was a good match and in the end I lost. But I'm still really happy."
In the day's first semifinal, Bondarenko won a battle of unseeded players, with a come-from-behind 63 57 75 victory over Kveta Peschke. The young Ukrainian was trailing 5-2 in the third set and even faced match point, but kept her cool and snuck out the win. Like Schiavone, Bondarenko has been to a final, but has left empty-handed; she was a runner-up at the Tier IV event in Hyderabad last year.
"At 5-2 down in the third, I just started thinking I had to play better, that I could do it," Bondarenko said. "I think she got a little nervous, missed a few balls and the momentum quickly moved to my side."
"She just started playing better," Peschke commented. "At the beginning of the third set she was making a lot more easy mistakes, and at 5-2 I thought things looked good, but I guess I was wrong. This is tennis, though. There are lots of ups and downs. Only the top players seem to have more ups than downs. But it was a good match anyway. I have good memories from this tournament every year, and if I'm still playing next year I'll definitely be back."
Schiavone and Bondarenko have played once previously, earlier this season at Roland Garros, where Schiavone beat a 61st-ranked Bondarenko, 63 64. Now ranked No.62 in the world, Bondarenko is projected to make her Top 50 debut on Monday with her Luxembourg run; in fact, she could even crack the Top 40.
"I hope to put it all out on the court tomorrow: my game and my personality," Schiavone said. "I'm so happy to be in the final. At the beginning of the week, when I saw all the players in the draw, I didn't think I'd reach the final."
"I have played Schiavone in Roland Garros and I lost," Bondarenko stated. "She is tough, we'll see tomorrow."
This is the 11th staging of the Luxembourg event. Kim Clijsters is a five-time champion here, but isn't entered this year due to a left wrist injury. Former winners also include Jennifer Capriati (2000), Martina Navratilova (1993, 1994) and Jana Novotna (1991, 1992).
-- WTA