Tennis: Schiavone bows to Li

Francesca SCHIAVONE appreciates last year's French Open triumph even more after experiencing the other side of the coin on Saturday.

The Italian was bidding to successfully defend her title but, after 13 wins in a row at Roland Garros, she was beaten 6-4 7-6 (7/0) by Li Na in the final on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Schiavone said: "The impact of winning, there's a big difference when you lose. But I'm happy to be here because now I can feel much more what I did last year."

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For the Chinese woman there was the elation of winning a first grand slam title at the age of 29. She became the first Asian player to win a grand slam singles title but it will not be until after Wimbledon that she will be able to go home to China to celebrate her historic win. "If I don't do well at Wimbledon, maybe people will have forgotten me already. These are tough times you know!" she said.