French Open: Stosur and Schiavone to compete in women's final; Nadal to meet Soderling in men's final

June 4, 2010

Australia's will compete against Italy's  for the women's title in this year's, while 's  will go up against 's.

In the women's semifinals, Stosur easily defeated, once , while Schiavone's opponent decided to withdraw due to a torn  after losing one set to Schiavone. Stosur and Schiavone will face off at the this Saturday for the final round of the French Open. As this is the first final for both players, a victory for either will mean her first major championship title. Schiavone is also the first Italian woman to compete in a Grand Slam semifinal match. However, this is not the first time the two have met: Stosur beat Schiavone in the opening round of last year's French Open, and again in later that year.

This year's championship has been one with several major upsets. None of the top three women in the event, including sisters and, made it to the semifinals. In fact, none of the female semifinalists this year have ever won a Grand Slam title, which has not occurred at the French Open for over 30 years.

In a major upset for the men's title, Robin Soderling defeated Swiss player in a quarterfinal match of the French Open Tuesday, ending Federer's streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearances. Federer could also lose his status as number one in the world to rival Rafael Nadal if Nadal wins this year's French Open. However, Soderling is known for being the only person to have defeated Nadal in the French Open. In the men's semifinals earlier today, the 24-year-old Nadal beat Austria's, and Soderling defeated Czech player. If Nadal beats Soderling in this Sunday's final round, it will be his fifth French Open title.