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Australia's Samantha Stosur, left, shakes hands with Serbia's Jelena Jankovic. AP Photo/Michel Eule
Justine Henin, four time French Open champion and former number one. No worries! Serena, the current number one. No worries! Jelena Jankovic, another former number one. No worries!
This was a commanding performance by Samantha Stosur on Court Philippe Chatrier. The star was her kicking serve, both first and second. This serve kicks higher than the chorus line at Folies Bergere.
Sam started the match with a comfortable hold and Jankovic followed suit.
Stosur is down 0-15 in the third game when she pulls out her trusty first serve and follows up with a deft one-two to go to 30-15. An ace down the line gives her game point and she closes it out with another solid serve.
The fourth game is pivotal and two crisp cross court forehands from Sam coupled with a Jankovic error gives the Aussie two break points.
Jankovic regroups to deuce.
A blistering return gives Stosur another break point. This time she seals it with a forehand past the flailing Jankovic.
Sam consolidates this lead with a service hold to love, the final point being a screaming first serve for 4-1. Jankovic unraveled as Stosur broke again and it was now becoming embarrassing watching Jankovic.
Stosur won it comfortably, but two wild shots on her way to winning the set showed she was vulnerable.
Jankovic held her first game of the second set to love and promptly broke Stosur to lead 2-0.
This game can change so quickly.
Stosur visibly took a deep breath and the third game became a dog-fight. Jankovic was finding her range and showed why she is ranked so high.
It is 40-15 to Jankovic and Stosur hits two deep and precise returns to level the game at deuce. This is the sign of a true champion: the ability to stop a resurgent opponent and impose her will.
Stosur could have gone 3-0 down but instead it is 2-1 and normal service has been restored.
The fourth game shows Stosur is no slouch on the backhand wing, either. But she faces another break point when she mishits a return. No worries!
A kicking first serve and back to deuce.
Jankovic refuses to lie down. Another break point and another unreturnable first serve. A Stosur double fault has her staring at another break point.
This time a second serve kicker rescues her. There is no holding Sam back now and she closes the fourth game to go 2-2.
The fight had now gone out of Jankovic.
A delicate drop shot from Stosur has Jankovic down 0-40 and before you can blink it is 3-2 to Stosur, with her serve to come. Stosur was winning 81 percent of her first serves with Jankovic struggling at 34 percent.
Jankovic looks to her coach and cuts a forlorn figure as Sam closes out the match in emphatic fashion for a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Interviewed post-match by Cedric Pioline, Sam is delighted: “I can’t believe I’m in the final. I can’t wait for Saturday.” Pioline asks her if she is ready and Sam says: “Saturday is as good a day as any. Why not?”
Sam will play the 17th seed Francesca Schiavone on Saturday, and barring a major form reversal, Australia will have its first Grand Slam women’s single champion since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980.
Australia, stand and salute your next world Number One.
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