Unseeded Lu upsets Roddick in 5-set marathon

WIMBLEDON, England - Three-time finalist Andy Roddick was stunned in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Monday by an 82nd-ranked Taiwanese player who hadn’t won a match at the All England Club the past four years.

The fifth-seeded Roddick was ousted 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 9-7 by Yen-hsun Lu on Monday in a match that lasted over 4½ hours.

Lu sealed the victory in the 16th game of the fifth set with his only service break of the match.

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The 26-year-old Lu had lost in the first round at Wimbledon four straight times and failed to win a match in his last five Grand Slams.

He’s the first Asian man to reach the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam since Shuzo Matsuoka of Japan did it at Wimbledon in 1995.

Roddick had 38 aces but converted only one of eight break-point chances.

Roger Federer reached the quarterfinals at a 25th consecutive Grand Slam tournament by easily beating Jurgen Melzer.

The top-seeded Federer, seeking his record-tying seventh championship at the All England Club, swept past No. 16 Melzer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in Monday’s first match on Centre Court.

The top-seeded Federer was broken once but lost only 15 of 63 points on serve.

“I thought I played great,” he said. “Aggressive right from the start.”  

Melzer was playing in Wimbledon’s fourth round for the first time, but he did reach the semifinals at this month’s French Open. Federer did not make it that far in Paris: He lost in the quarterfinals there to Robin Soderling, ending a streak of reaching the semifinals at a record 23 major tournaments in a row.

Federer’s win over Melzer makes him 80-2 on grass since 2003. He’s played in the Wimbledon final seven years in a row.

Later in the day, top-ranked Rafael Nadal beat Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in 2 hours.

Also, third-seeded Novak Djokovic beat former champion Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, and Britain's hopes stayed alive as No. 4 Andy Murray swept No. 18 Sam Querrey 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

Djokovic, who also eliminated Hewitt in the fourth round in 2007, needed just a single break of serve to win each of the first two sets.

 Video highlights 

Guardiola fined for ref rantFederer gets tested again at Wimbledon

Right knee вЂnot bad’ after practice, Nadal says

WIMBLEDON, England - Rafael Nadal’s bothersome right knee held up fine during a 40-minute practice at the All England Club on Sunday.

Walking briskly while toting his racket bag after his light workout, Nadal told The Associated Press that his knee felt “good, good; not bad.”

Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and coach, was more expansive, saying, “The knee is so much better” than it was Saturday, when the 2008 Wimbledon champion received treatment from a trainer during changeovers while coming back to beat No. 33-seeded Philipp Petzschner of Germany 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 in the third round.

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That was Nadal’s second consecutive five-set victory, the first time he’s ever had two matches go the distance this early at a major tournament.

The Spaniard went out to hit early Sunday afternoon during a star-studded training session. Roger Federer was perhaps 20 feet away on the court to Nadal’s right, and Andy Roddick was to Nadal’s left, while Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling played a tiebreaker for fun nearby.

After Sunday’s day off, Wimbledon resumes Monday with all 16 men’s and women’s fourth-round matches, and the No. 2-seeded Nadal faces 66th-ranked Paul-Henri Mathieu of France.

“I hope and think he can play with no problem,” Toni Nadal said. “We are nervous about the opponent, but not the knee, at the moment.”

His nephew’s knees have been a long-standing issue.

Rafael Nadal skipped the grass-court Grand Slam tournament last year because of tendinitis in both knees, becoming only the fifth player in the history of an event first contested in 1877 to not defend his championship because of an injury.

He stopped playing during his Australian Open quarterfinal against Andy Murray in January because of trouble with the right knee. And Nadal acknowledged Saturday he’s been dealing with knee issues this spring, including during a loss to Andy Roddick at Key Biscayne, Fla., in early April.

“I don’t like to say (anything) in that moment,” Nadal explained, “because when you lose, (it) always looks like an excuse.”

Nadal said he received treatment on his left knee after winning the title on clay at Monte Carlo later in April, but said he did not have time to have the same procedure done on his right knee. He wound up going 22-0 and collecting four titles during the European clay-court circuit, including his fifth French Open and seventh Grand Slam championship overall.

Angel Ruiz Cotorro, a doctor with the Spanish tennis federation who works with Nadal, said Sunday they’ll do the new treatment on the right knee after Wimbledon “to improve the regeneration of the tendon.”

After watching Nadal practice Sunday, the doctor said the right knee is “better, but we will see tomorrow, in the morning.”

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Atletico suffer Asenjo blowFederer hopes Madrid will provide turning point

Wimbledon reviewing whether player spat at crowd

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -Wimbledon is looking into whether to fine No. 31-seeded Victor Hanescu of Romania for allegedly spitting toward the crowd during a match.

Hanescu was warned by the chair umpire for spitting and for swearing during the fifth set of Friday's third-round match against Daniel Brands of Germany. Hanescu stopped playing while trailing 3-0 in that set, and the reason was officially listed by the tournament as a leg injury.

Tournament referee Andrew Jarrett said his office "is reviewing further information from this match."

Police arrested four people at that match's court for disrupting public order. The tournament could not verify whether the episodes were related.

Guardiola fined for ref rantQueen Elizabeth planning to attend Wimbledon

Wimbledon marathon man loses in 75 minutes

WIMBLEDON, England - One day after winning the longest tennis match in history, John Isner lost the shortest men’s match at Wimbledon so far this year.

It was back to normal, meanwhile, for defending champion Roger Federer, who showed he was back at the top of his game by sweeping Arnaud Clement in straight sets to reach the fourth round in his bid for a seventh Wimbledon crown.

Marathon man Isner looked weary from the outset Friday, required treatment for a neck injury and was beaten by unseeded Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.

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The second-round match was over in just 1 hour, 14 minutes, and the five games won by Isner is the fewest by a male player this week.

It was a complete turnaround from Isner’s epic three-day victory over Nicolas Mahut, which lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes and went to 70-68 in the fifth set.

What’s more, Isner served no aces Friday after hitting a record 112 against Mahut.

“I’ve never been this exhausted before,” Isner said. “Mentally and physically, I was obviously a bit drained. I just didn’t have much in the way of my legs. I was just low on fuel out there. Didn’t really have a chance.”

Starting shortly after noon in warm sunshine, Isner received a standing ovation when he walked onto court. He immediately lost his serve — something that didn’t happen once in his never-ending fifth set against Mahut.

“The turnaround time — he just didn’t have enough time to get his body right,” said Isner’s coach, Craig Boynton. “He’s one tired boy.”

 Video 

Isner, Mahut playing longest match in historyGuardiola fined for ref rant

Venus rolls into fourth round at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England - Second-seeded Venus Williams has beaten Alisa Kleybanova 6-4, 6-2 to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion, was down 3-1 in the first set Friday before taking control and ousting the 26th-seeded Russian.

Kleybanova put up a good fight in the set, which turned into a slugfest from the back of the court.

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Williams will play the winner of the match between Australia's Jarmila Groth and German Angelique Kerber for a berth in the quarterfinals.

Clijsters, Henin set up showdown
Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, two Belgians making Wimbledon comebacks, won to set up a fourth-round showdown Monday.

Clijsters, seeded eighth, beat No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-3. Henin, seeded 17th, defeated No. 12 Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-4.

No. 4 Jelena Jankovic beat No. 28 Alona Bondarenko 6-0, 6-3. No. 11 Marion Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up, defeated Greta Arn 6-3, 6-4.

 Video highlights 

Wimbledon Show Court SchedulesBenfica deny Di Maria reports

Queen visits Wimbledon for 1st time in 33 years

WIMBLEDON, England - Queen Elizabeth II made her first appearance at Wimbledon in 33 years Thursday — applauding Briton Andy Murray as he won his second match and shaking hands with a giddy Serena Williams, who showed off her curtsy.

Wearing a white dress, a bright turquoise coat and matching hat, the 84-year-old queen braved scorching temperatures as she greeted onlookers and met former champions such as Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova before greeting the tennis tournament’s top seeds.

Williams, who wore a formfitting white top and skirt, had talked at length about her efforts to perfect her curtsy and sport more conservative clothing — the defending champion is known for outrageous outfits such as a skintight black catsuit and fluorescent orange micro-shorts.

Smiling widely, Williams took a deep curtsy as she met the queen, but was not scheduled to play on Center Court, where the monarch will watch tennis from the Royal Box. Venus Williams, who was wearing a glamorous mauve dress, also appeared to curtsy as she was introduced to the monarch.

Murray, the only British singles player left in the tournament in a year of exceptionally poor showings by the host country, appeared nervous at first but went on to score an easy victory against Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

The fourth-seeded Murray said that as they walked out to court, he took care to coordinate with his opponent when they would bow to the Royal Box. Spectators roared and wolf-whistled as the two players bowed together in the queen’s direction both before and after the match.

“There’s obviously some nerves, there,” he said, referring to meeting the queen, adding that he probably got “a bit of extra luck” in his play because of her presence.

“It’s probably a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us ... Don’t know whether she’ll be coming in the next few years, but I definitely enjoyed it,” he said.

Although in decades past, the tennis club maintained a tradition of a bow or curtsy to royal attendants, that practice was dropped in 2003. Still, many indulged the monarch Thursday.

Thousands of people welcomed her arrival earlier in the day.

“She looked stunning, she’s just amazing,” said Debbie Moody, a 45-year-old nurse, after watching the queen’s arrival. “It’s a shame she hasn’t been for so long, but I’m so glad she has decided to come back.”

“We are here for the tennis, but I’m delighted the queen turned up as well. I love her smile when she’s greeting people,” said Romey Allison, a retired 53-year-old attending with her husband.

The queen, who sat in the front row of the Royal Box with the Duke of Kent, left Wimbledon after watching Murray’s match. Buckingham Palace said her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, canceled because of previous engagements.

The last time the queen visited in 1977, she presented Virginia Wade with the ladies’ singles championship. No Briton has won a singles title since.

Although the monarch isn’t known to have a particularly strong personal interest in tennis, the royal association with Wimbledon spans more than 100 years.

The queen’s, grandfather, King George V, became patron of the All England Club in 1910, and the tradition has been maintained since.

The queen’s only other visits before 1977 were in 1957 and 1962.

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Queen Elizabeth planning to attend WimbledonGuardiola fined for ref rant

Wimbledon Show Court Schedules

Justine Henin (17), Belgium, vs. Nadia Petrova (12), Russia

Gael Monfils (21), France, vs. Lleyton Hewitt (15), Australia

Roger Federer (1), Switzerland, vs. Arnaud Clement, France

No. 1 Court

Novak Djokovic (3), Serbia, vs. Albert Montanes (28), Spain

Alisa Kleybanova (26), Russia, vs. Venus Williams (2), United States

Philipp Kohlschreiber (29), Germany, vs. Andy Roddick (5), United States

No. 2 Court

Kim Clijsters (8), Belgium, vs. Maria Kirilenko (27), Russia

Alona Bondarenko (28), Ukraine, vs. Jelena Jankovic (4), Serbia

Feliciano Lopez (22), Spain, vs. Jurgen Melzer (16), Austria

No. 5 Court

Thiemo de Bakker, Netherlands, vs. John Isner (23), United States

Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria, vs. Regina Kulikova, Russia

Florian Mayer, Germany, vs. Yen-hsun Lu, Taiwan

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

French Open Show Court SchedulesSilva admits United pull

Nadal rallies after losing two of first three sets

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal has rallied in the second round at Wimbledon to beat Robin Haase of the Netherlands, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Nadal improved to 13-3 in five-set matches with the victory Thursday. He won all 20 points on his serve in the final set.

Haase (Ha’-suh) came into the match ranked 151st, with two career victories on grass and a 2-6 record in Grand Slam tournaments. But he dominated with his serve early and finished with 28 aces.

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Nadal is playing at Wimbledon for the first time since winning the 2008 title. He missed last year’s tournament because of knee tendinitis but may be poised for a strong run after winning his fifth French Open title this month.

Murray impresses the queen
Andy Murray has reached the third round after a comfortable victory over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen in front of Queen Elizabeth II.

 Video highlights 

Jose sets sights on EuropeвЂI definitely got very lucky today,’ Federer says

Federer gets tested again at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England - Roger Federer walked off the court with a smile Wednesday, relieved to survive another tense early-round match at Wimbledon.

The six-time champion advanced to the third round by beating qualifier Ilija Bozoljac 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Federer had a slightly easier time than in his opening match, when he overcame a two-set deficit. But he had trouble putting Bozoljac away, converting only three of 13 break-point chances.

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“I wish they were straight sets, obviously,” Federer said. “But as long as you’re moving on, especially at Wimbledon, I’m a happy man.”

Federer was never broken, won 75 percent of his service points and committed only 13 unforced errors. He won the final three points of the match, one with a bold drop shot when trailing 5-4 in the tiebreaker.

Three-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick dug out of an early hole and beat Michael Llodra 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (2). Seeded fifth, Roddick began playing serve and volley more as the match progressed, and he won 34 points at the net.

“That was as tough of a second round as there is,” Roddick said. “I had to make an adjustment. Off of my serve, I had to start coming in and serving and volleying behind it.”

Playing the first match on sun-splashed Centre Court, Roddick hit 25 aces, lost serve just once and committed only 11 unforced errors.

No. 3-seeded Novak Djokovic beat American Taylor Dent 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-4. Dent served at up to 148 mph but lost 25 of 54 points at the net.

“All are vital necessities,” he said.

No. 15 Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, advanced when Evgeny Korolev retired trailing 6-4, 6-4, 3-0. American Mardy Fish had 30 aces but went 0-for-9 on break-point chances in the final set and lost to Florian Mayer 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

No. 13 Shahar Peer lost to Angelique Kerber 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Defending champion Federer was three points from defeat Monday against Alejandro Falla, and he was two points from being forced to a fifth set against Bozoljac, a Serb ranked 152nd.

 Slideshow 

Guardiola fined for ref rantвЂI definitely got very lucky today,’ Federer says

Isner, Mahut playing longest match in history

WIMBLEDON, England - John Isner of Tampa, Fla., and Nicolas Mahut of France are playing what already is the longest match on record in tennis history.

Their first-round match at Wimbledon has lasted more than 9 hours — breaking the record of 6 hours, 33 minutes set in a 2004 French Open match. The fifth set has lasted more than 5 1/2 hours.

Isner and Mahut are tied in the fifth set 55 games to 55. They resumed playing Wednesday at the start of the fifth set; the match was suspended because of darkness Tuesday night after four sets.

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Serena wins marathonGuardiola fined for ref rant

вЂI definitely got very lucky today,’ Federer says

WIMBLEDON, England - For Roger Federer, Wimbledon nearly ended at the beginning.

The six-time champion overcame a two-set deficit to avert a monumental first-round upset, beating Alejandro Falla 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0.

Federer has reached the tournament final each of the past seven years, but Monday he barely survived the traditional opening match on Centre Court as defending champion.

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“I live another day,” Federer said. “This one is one I should have lost. That’s sometimes how grass-court tennis works.”

The 60th-ranked Falla had lost all 11 sets in his previous four matches against Federer, but the Colombian played brilliant tennis to take charge of the match early. The turnaround came in the fourth set with Falla serving for the match and three points from victory, when Federer broke for only the second time.

Federer played his best after that. It’s the third time in a row he has won after losing the first two sets at a Grand Slam event, but the close call was a new experience in such an early round.

“You definitely feel uncomfortable,” Federer said. “For me it’s not normal to be down two sets to love. Especially at Wimbledon and early on in Grand Slams, it’s something I’m not quite used to.”

After winning the first two sets, Falla received treatment from a trainer during the next three changeovers for an upper left leg injury, but he said it didn’t affect the outcome.

The pivotal moment came when he served for the biggest victory of his career at 5-4 in the fourth set. He made shaky errors on the first two points, and a pair of deft forehands by Federer gave him the break.

Federer ran away with the tiebreaker, taking advantage of four more unforced errors by Falla, and the deflated Colombian mustered little resistance in the final set.

“I definitely got very lucky today out there,” Federer said.

“I think about the lost opportunity,” Falla said. “On the other hand, I played a great match. I had Federer against the ropes.”

No. 7-seeded Nikolay Davydenko also overcame a two-set deficit, along with Kevin Anderson’s 36 aces, and won 3-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 7-5, 9-7.

No. 5 Andy Roddick, who lost to Federer in last year’s epic final, began his title bid by beating fellow American Rajeev Ram 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Roddick never faced a break point and committed only 10 unforced errors.

No. 11 Marin Cilic lost to Florian Mayer 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (1), and No. 17 Ivan Ljubicic was beaten by Michal Przysiezny 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-3. French Open semifinalist Tomas Berdych advanced, as did Americans Mardy Fish and Brendan Evans.

Dustin Brown, the first Jamaican man to play in a Grand Slam tournament since 1974, lost to No. 16 Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. No. 21 Gael Monfils advanced, as did Americans Mardy Fish and Brendan Evans.

There had been signs coming into the tournament that Federer might be vulnerable. He lost at the French Open this month in the quarterfinals, his earliest Grand Slam exit in six years. Then he dropped to No. 2 in the rankings behind nemesis Rafael Nadal. Then at a Wimbledon warm-up event came Federer’s second grass-court defeat since 2003, extending his drought of nearly five months without a title.

But no one expected so much trouble against a 26-year-old journeyman who has yet to win a tournament. There were stretches of stunned silence from the crowd, dumbfounded by the score. Fans also roared in appreciate of Falla’s frequent winners.

“He played great,” Federer said. “He was the one who put me in that kind of a score. I thought I was actually playing decent. Credit to him.”

The match was Falla’s third in the past four weeks against Federer, which at first worked to the Colombian’s advantage.

 Slideshow 

Federer endures one tense set, two rain delaysGuardiola fined for ref rant

Wimbledon bans vuvuzelas from tournament

WIMBLEDON, England - Quiet, please.

Organizers are making sure there will be no racket from vuvuzelas at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

The plastic horns which have provided a constant drone at the World Cup in South Africa will be banned from the Grand Slam tournament, which starts Monday at the All England Club.

“Out of courtesy to the players and their fellow spectators, we make a point of asking spectators not to bring items which could either cause a distraction or interfere with the enjoyment of the occasion,” All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie said in a statement Thursday.

“Rattles, klaxons and vuvuzelas all fall into that category and they will not be allowed into the grounds. Our message is do not bring them in the first place.”

In addition, organizers said World Cup games will not be broadcast on the big screens or scoreboards on the Wimbledon grounds. That has been Wimbledon’s policy with all World Cups and European Championships since 1998.

“We fully appreciate that a number of our visitors will be interested in the football World Cup,” Ritchie said. “Equally, however, the tennis is our first priority.”

Despite the measures, the World Cup will be sure to have an impact on Wimbledon. Many of the players are avid supporters of their national teams and will be asked about the soccer constantly during the two-week grass-court championships.

In past years, the men’s final at Wimbledon has come on the same day as the World Cup final. This year, however, the soccer final will be played a week later than the July 4 tennis showpiece.

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Agent - Rossi a wanted manQueen Elizabeth planning to attend Wimbledon

Clijsters loses to Azarenka at Eastbourne

EASTBOURNE, England (AP) -Fifth-seeded Kim Clijsters lost 7-6 (6), 6-4 to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the quarterfinals of the Eastbourne grass-court tournament Thursday.

Clijsters dropped just three games in her opening two matches but the Belgian player struggled against Azarenka, who reeled off four games in a row to close out the match.

"I felt I was looking for rhythm and timing, compared to my singles yesterday," Clijsters said. "Her shots are hard and low, and it's tough to get an angle against her."

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Third-seeded Samantha Stosur beat Britain's Elena Baltacha 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-0 to reach her fifth semifinal of the year and eighth-seeded Marion Bartoli of France edged Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Svetlana Kuznetsova's miserable year continued when she was defeated 6-4, 7-5 by qualifier Ekaterina Makarova in an all-Russian clash.

The unseeded Azarenka earned her first break with a winning forehand down the line to take a 3-2 lead before Clijsters saved six set points to level at 5-5.

Azarenka, who this week earned her first back-to-back victories in six tournaments, took the set in the tiebreak on her ninth set point and then recovered an early break in the second.

Up 2-4, Clijsters suddenly lost her way and netted a forehand volley on match point to hand Azarenka victory.

"I was up 4-2 and it went quickly from there - a couple of double faults and good returns from her which pushed me back," Clijsters said. "I wasnt able to dictate and felt I was being pushed back a bit."

French Open finalist Stosur struggled early on and netted a backhand volley to hand Baltacha the first set in the tiebreak.

But the Australian player, who also made the Eastbourne semifinals in 2008, was more aggressive in the second set as she hit 18 winners and allowed Baltacha just six points in the opening four games.

The early games of the third set were closely contested but Stosur pulled clear and closed out her final service game with three aces.

Kuznetsova, the 2004 champion who has slipped to No. 20, was taken to three sets in her first two matches but could not get past Makarova, who had reached the quarterfinals for the third year running.

Bartoli needed two hours, 51 minutes to reach the last four of the Wimbledon warmup tournament for the fourth straight year.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Serena wins marathonGuardiola fined for ref rant

Cowboys Stadium postpones Tennis Slam

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -The Cowboys Tennis Classic, scheduled for July 10 at Cowboys Stadium, has been called off.

A tersely worded statement from Cowboys Stadium officials on Wednesday said "a future date has not been set and all tickets will be refunded."

No reason was given for what the statement called a "postponement." Calls to the Cowboys weren't returned.

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Last month, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had announced the event to be held six days after Wimbledon at his $1.2 billion stadium. It was to host a pair of best-of-three matches, featuring Serena Williams against Maria Sharapova, and Andy Roddick against John Isner.

Williams, Sharapova and Roddick all have been ranked No. 1. The 6-foot-7 Isner is the second-highest ranked American men's player behind Roddick, and is known for a serve that can top 140 mph.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pires set to depart SpainSharapova, Henin advance to French showdown

Schiavone caps surprise run with French crown

PARIS - Francesca Schiavone threw uppercuts, put her fists to her face and skipped about the court. And then, when she had won the French Open, she really let her emotions show.

With the performance of a lifetime, Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam title by beating Samantha Stosur 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the final Saturday.

The tour veteran rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the second set, then took the clinching tiebreaker with a succession of brilliant shots that was topped only by her exuberance.

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When she had won, she fell onto her back, then rolled over and kissed the clay. She rose covered with dirt, hugged Stosur and broke into a champion's grin, then trotted over to the wall behind the baseline and climbed it for a group hug with her supporters.

"The passion came through," 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova said. "She wanted it. She wanted it badly. She was going to die on that court if she had to."

Mary Pierce, the 2000 champion, presented Schiavone with the Suzanne Lenglen Cup.

"You give me a great trophy," Schiavone told her. "I feel amazing."

Before leaving the court, Schiavone took a call on a cell phone from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. She quoted him as saying, "Congratulations. Enjoy this moment. It was an honor for Italy."

At 29, Schiavone (pronounced Skee-ah-VOH-nay) became the oldest woman to win her first Grand Slam title since Ann Jones at Wimbledon in 1969 at age 30. She's the first Italian Grand Slam champion since Adriano Panatta won the French Open men's title in 1976.

Schiavone was seeded 17th. The only other time the title has been won by a woman not seeded in the top 10 was in 1933.

 Slideshow 

Williams’ dress draws more notice than her playVictorious Pep apologises to fans

French Open Show Court Schedules

Robin Soderling (5), Sweden, vs. Tomas Berdych (15), Czech Republic

Jurgen Melzer (22), Austria, vs. Rafael Nadal (2), Spain

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Agent - Novo options openFrench Open Show Court Schedules

French Open Show Court Schedules

Robin Soderling (5), Sweden, vs. Tomas Berdych (15), Czech Republic

Jurgen Melzer (22), Austria, vs. Rafael Nadal (2), Spain

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Agent - Novo options openFrench Open Show Court Schedules

Soderling beats Berdych in French semis

PARIS - Robin Soderling had been toiling in the hot sun for 3½ hours when he sprinted after a shot in the final game, stretched and whipped a forehand winner while still on the run.

The Swede’s legs remained fresh at the finish of his grueling French Open semifinal Friday, and he swept the last four games to overtake Tomas Berdych 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

Soderling’s only other Grand Slam final was at Roland Garros last year, when he lost to Roger Federer.

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“I was only thinking about getting through the first round. Now two weeks later, I’m in the final again,” Soderling told the crowd after his win. “It’s better than the best dream.”

Soderling has a knack for upsets in Paris, with victories over Rafael Nadal last year and Federer this year. On Sunday, he’ll play the winner of the second semifinal between four-time champion Nadal and Jurgen Melzer.

Temperatures in the low 80s made for fast court conditions, and the first men’s semifinal quickly developed into a slugfest between two of the hardest hitters in tennis. Most points were short, and rallies were usually restricted to big swings from the backcourt, with few slices, drop shots, lobs or volleys.

The No. 5-seeded Soderling hit 18 aces, 62 winners and 63 unforced errors. Berdych, seeded No. 15, hit 21 aces, 42 winners and 41 unforced errors.

“It was really tough to play my game,” Soderling said, “because he was hitting so hard.”

Five sets of swinging from the heels came down to the last three games. Serving at 3-all in the final set, Berdych fell behind love-30 and tried a rare drop shot, but Soderling dashed forward and scooped out a backhand winner. Two points later, Berdych dumped a backhand in the net to lose serve.

Soderling rallied from love-30 to hold for 5-3. Then, on the second point of the next game, he dashed from one sideline to the other to whack his running forehand past Berdych.

“Greatest shot of the match,” said fellow Swede and three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander.

Match point came moments later, and when Berdych pushed a weary backhand wide, Soderling covered his face with his hands as his accomplishment sunk in.

It was only the fifth five-set win in the Swede’s career.

The first service break of the match came in the fourth game, when Berdych clipped the net with a second serve. He soon had lost a set for the first time in the tournament.

But Soderling wobbled, missing with his forehand and losing serve twice in the third set. The second break made it 6-5, and the usually impassive Swede slammed his racket to the court. In the next game Berdych served out the set with four aces, the last at 139 mph.

It was Soderling’s turn to rally. He managed the lone break in the fourth set and evened the match after nearly three hours in the sun.

Berdych faded at the finish but found consolation in reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal.

“It was a great two weeks for me,” the big Czech said. “Every round I won here, it’s a great moment.”

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

French Open Show Court SchedulesIniesta gets training boost

French Open Show Court Schedules

Robin Soderling (5), Sweden, vs. Tomas Berdych (15), Czech Republic

Jurgen Melzer (22), Austria, vs. Rafael Nadal (2), Spain

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

French Open Show Court SchedulesAgent - Novo options open

Nadal reaches French semis, still hasn't lost set

PARIS - Four-time champion Rafael Nadal is back in the French Open semifinals.

The second-seeded Nadal beat No. 19 Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-4 Wednesday in an all-Spanish quarterfinal.

Nadal has yet to drop a set in the tournament. Last year, his 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros ended with a fourth-round loss to Robin Soderling, who upset Roger Federer on Tuesday.

Nadal improved to 7-0 against Almagro.

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No Real renewal for HiguainFederer: вЂNo complex whatsoever’ about Nadal

French Open Show Court Schedules

Francesca Schiavone (17), Italy, vs. Caroline Wozniacki (3), Denmark

Roger Federer (1), Switzerland, vs. Robin Soderling (5), Sweden

Marc Lopez and Pere Riba, Spain, vs. Wesley Moodie, South Africa, and Dick Norman (4), Belgium

Court Suzanne Lenglen

Elena Dementieva (5), Russia, vs. Nadia Petrova (19), Russia

Tomas Berdych (15), Czech Republic, vs. Mikhail Youzhny (11), Russia

Lukasz Kubot, Poland, and Oliver Marach (6), Austria, vs. Daniel Nestor, Canada, and Nenad Zimonjic (2), Serbia

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

French Open Show Court SchedulesBarca make Arsenal contact

Men’s roundup: Ginepri's run ends vs. Djokovic

PARIS - Face-down on the clay after getting his feet tangled, Robby Ginepri tried to make light of the situation by doing some push-ups right there in the French Open’s main stadium.

Seemed like a good idea at the time. The spectators loved it. Ginepri smiled. Even the American’s fourth-round opponent Monday, No. 3-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia, laughed at the gag.

The joke, it turned out, was on Ginepri. After playing so well for so long — all tournament and against Djokovic — the 98th-ranked Ginepri, of Kennesaw, Ga., suddenly lost that game and lost his way. The last U.S. man in the field at Roland Garros went quietly in the end, beaten by Djokovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.

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“Never doing those again on court. I think that kind of changed the momentum a little bit,” said Ginepri, who failed in his bid to become the first American man in the French Open quarterfinals since Andre Agassi in 2003. “I felt a little stupid, slipping and falling on my face, so tried to get the crowd back to my side. Maybe that took a little bit of my focus away.”

Until that moment, Ginepri was giving the 2008 Australian Open champion a tough time, grinding away in lengthy baseline rallies while splitting the opening two sets.

How big an upset would this have been? Not only was Ginepri 0-4 against Djokovic, but he’d lost all nine sets they’d played previously. Consider, too, that Ginepri came to Paris without a coach, and with a 1-7 record in 2010, something he acknowledged was “a pretty terrible stat.”

He also was 9-31 for his career on clay before last week. That included six first-round losses in seven previous French Open appearances, although he also managed to reach the fourth round in 2008.

Yet there Ginepri was Monday, right in the thick of things while serving in the second game of the third set. That’s when Djokovic’s perfect lob sent Ginepri chasing, then sprawling, then engaging in a midmatch workout.

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