For the third consecutive year, an Italian is in the final at Roland Garros, the most important tennis tournament on red clay. After Francesca Schiavone (winner two years ago and second, defeated by Na Li, last year) this time it's Sara Errani's turn. The tennis player from Romagna (she was born in Bologna but raised in Massa Lombarda in the province of Ravenna) defeated the Australian Samantha Stosur, reversing the prediction. It was the sixth time she had met her in her career. She had always lost, the last time last month in Rome. But the match with the highest stakes was today's match won 7-5, 1-6, 6-3. And what made the difference this time was Sara's great racing outfit. Who will also play the doubles final tomorrow together with Robertina Vinci from Taranto.
Let's try to describe the match very quickly. The "formichina" (copyright by Gianni Clerici) loses her serve at the opening of the first set and goes down by 0 to 2. She immediately recovers, reaching 2 all and continues with services. But on 5 all Sara snatches the serve from the Australian and closes 7 to 5. Everything changes in the second set. Stosur plays five "scary" games and goes 5 to 0. Errani tries to react in order not to start the third in conditions of excessive difficulty and psychological subjection. He gains a game on his serve, and then loses 6 to 1. Stosur heads off early in the third. Sara takes 3 to 0. But the Australian reacts, hits even harder, and earns 3 all, breaking Errani's serve.
At this point it is clear that the winner will be whoever has the most nerve resistance. And ours truly has nerves of steel. She plays all the last three games with her head, confusing her opponent, and thus closes 6 to 3. The Australian, who has seen the match slip out of her hands at least three times, can only think that tennis is really a cruel sport. And where I come from we say “stink”.
Let's talk for a moment about Errani and his extraordinary growth (he should be close to the top 10 in the world rankings) this year. She is only XNUMX meters tall (about the same size as Berlusconi), and tennis players are usually very tall. She makes up for it, as well as with her head and nervous hold, with her great ability to anticipate shots (to catch the ball as much as possible when she goes up). Then a technical expedient agreed with her coach, the Spanish Pablo Lozano: she plays with a racket that is one centimeter longer than the others. To get it he had to pay thirty thousand dollars in penalty, according to the contract with the previous racket brand. But I believe that you Sara you have mainly benefited from having played so many doubles tournaments. This year with her Vinci she has already won three.
Doubles is a specialty that is not practiced today by the best singles players. Yet playing doubles improves in many things that serve the single. First of all the service and response. Fundamental shots in which Errani (and we saw it in this tournament) has really improved a lot. In doubles the tennis player is forced to respond intelligently, improving his anticipation and touch of the ball, because otherwise his partner will be hit by the opponent. The same goes for the joke.
And now the two finals. The doubles will also be a test in view of the next London Olympics, where Sara and Roberta can aim for a medal. As for next Saturday's singles final, Sara is once again underdog in the standings and predictions. But she has many possibilities to subvert him, given the extraordinary tournament played so far.
