Schiavone, in Farewell Tour, Wins WTA Bogota Leading to French Open

Former world No. 4 Francesca Schiavone is setting herself up to go out in style.
ADHEREL
The former French Open champion is in her farewell season on the WTA tour. This week she hadn’t won a WTA match through almost the first four months of the year, but the 36 year old captured the title on Sunday at the Claro Open Colsanitas in Colombia, Bogota, in the final upsetting No. 4-seeded Spaniard Lara Arruabarrena 6-4, 7-5.

“Today was a disaster match,” Schiavone said. “But winning was the most important thing. Lara is improving a lot. I think she pulled a muscle and couldn’t run as well that she could, but I thank God that I could win the last three games.”

En route to the final the Italian upset top-seeded Kiki Bertens and No. 3 seed Johanna Larsson to win her first title since Rio de Janeiro last year and her eighth career title.

“It was too long since I won a title and I am very pleased to win again,” she said. “It was a very good tournament for me here in Bogota. I felt very excited to be playing my game.”

Arruabarrena won the 2012 championship in Bogota.

“There wasn’t a big difference between us,” she said. “It was very close.”

Schiavone is now within striking distance of the Top 100 again, and direct entry into her final French Open.

“I’m not thinking about retirement,” she said. “I’m enjoying tennis.”

Schiavone improved to 8-11 in career finals, while Arruabarrena dropped to 2-1.