Name |
Francesca Schiavone |
Height |
5' 5" |
Naionality |
Italian |
Date of Birth |
June 23, 1980 |
Place of Birth |
Milan, Italy |
Famous for |
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Francesca Schiavone (born 23 June 1980 in Milan) is a professional tennis player from Italy. She turned professional in 1998. Her career high ranking is World No. 11, achieved on 30 January 2006. She has won only one singles title on the WTA tour but has reached eight finals, six of them since the autumn of 2005. Schiavone has also reached two Grand Slam singles quarterfinals, the first in her debut at the 2001 French Open and again at the 2003 US Open. She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Flavia Pennetta, and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgium team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy.[1] This match was a doubles match and Kirsten Flipkens partnered Henin and Roberta Vinci partnered Schiavone. She realized the best win of her career in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, when she upset World No. 1 and four-time champion Henin 7–6, 7–6. She eventually lost to Elena Dementieva in the semifinals. Partnering Australian Casey Dellacqua, Schiavone was the runner-up in the women's doubles competition at the 2008 French Open.