French Open Daily: Day 10
Italy's Francesca Schiavone is back in the French Open semifinals after last year's surprise run to the championship. (Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images)
What's Happening Wednesday
The last four men's and women's quarterfinals will be played. Tennis Channel's live coverage runs from 8 a.m. ET until noon. ESPN2 continues with live and same-day action from 12 until 6:30 p.m. ET. (Clip and save the complete TV schedule.)
The day's four quarterfinals are:
• No. 6 Li Na vs. No. 4 Victoria Azarenka (Court Philippe Chatrier, 8 a.m. ET)
• No. 7 Maria Sharapova vs. No. 15 Andrea Petkovic (Court Suzanne Lenglen, 8 a.m. ET)
• No. 1 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 5 Robin Soderling (Court Philippe Chatrier, second match)
• No. 4 Andy Murray vs. Juan Ignacio Chela (Court Suzanne Lenglen, second match)
The complete order of play for Day 11 can be found here.
What Happened Thursday
• Andy's agony and ecstasy. Hobbled by an injured ankle, Andy Murray had fallen behind two sets to none in Monday's fourth-round match with Viktor Troicki. He rallyed to knot the score at two sets apiece, but the match was suspended for darkness before the players could decide it. Fast forward to Tuesday, where Murray fell behind 5-2 in the fifth before promptly taking five straight games and the match. Next up: a quarterfinal clash with Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela.
• Schaivone back in semis, will face Bartoli. One year after becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam, the artistic Schiavone is back in the semifinals after a wacky 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. In a match between the oldest and youngest women remaining in the draw -- Schiavone turns 31 next month; Pavlyuchenkova is 19 -- the artful Italian rallied from a moribund opening to take control in the second set before nearly letting it slip away at the finish. She'll face Marion Bartoli in the semifinals after the 11th-seeded Frenchwoman dispensed of Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets.
• Federer books Djokovic showdown. Federer coasted to a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Gael Monfils in straight sets, reaching the French Open semifinals for the sixth time in seven years. He's the lone player yet to drop a set at Roland Garros. Next up: a Friday clash with Novak Djokovic for a place in Sunday's final.
Paris Clicks
Jim Courier penned this appreciation of the Bullring at Roland Garros ... Today's new musketeers are no match for the Mousquetaires who defeated Bill Tilden, writes Roger Kaplan of The American Spectator ... Meet Betty and Veronica: Svetlana Kuznetsova's new two-headed coaching brain trust ... Rafael Nadal discusses the Champions League final in the latest entry of his ongoing blog for the Telegraph.
Photo of the Day
Andy Murray reacts after defeating Viktor Troicki (from SI.com's Best Shots from Day 10 at the French Open).
Go Figure
4 ... Number of French women to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros in the Open era: Francoise Durr (1972, '73), Brigitte Simon (1978), Mary Pierce (2000, '05) and Marion Bartoli (2011).
400 ... Career singles victories by the 26-year-old Bartoli, who reached the milestone with Tuesday's quarterfinal win over Kuznetsova.
1 ... Number of players remaining in the men's draw from outside of Europe: Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina.
Must-See Video
Pop quiz, hotshot: Who presented Rafael Nadal each of his five French Open trophies? Rafa himself gets put on the spot.
They Said It
"I was really sad inside but what can you do? Nobody can change it, just me. So I came back and I enjoyed it a little bit more at the end than at the start, for sure."
--Francesca Schiavone, on falling behind 1-6, 1-4 against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before rallying for a three-set victory
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703555804576102283797315612.htmlA
