Woke early, grabbed some breakfast and flipped on TSN. To my delight, the French Open women's final was about to start. McEnroe and Robinson teed up the coverage but Carillo was away at daughter Rachel's high school graduation. Unfortunately for Mary (Carillo) this match had stellar moments that beckoned the kind of vocabulary that only she can deliver. Johnny Mac threw in his best effort with a "discombobulated".
Okay, it was athleticism and power (Samantha Stosur) up against heart and shot selection (Francesca Schiavone). Aptly, Mac mentioned that the game strategy of Schiavone was perfectly selected for this heavy hitting opponent. Smartly, Francesca stepped forward and took the heavy spin serves on the rise throughout the match. At 5'5" it's no fun hitting one handed drives from the shoulder. Hence; she adjusted by taking the ball early. In fact, it was the stellar backhand returns in the second set tie break that sent her to the pinnacle of the podium. Too many times I've witnessed athletes fail to make the necessary adjustments. It can be particularly painfull to watch if the color man has also picked it up. Certainly, coaching gets some credit here.
At 30 and without a sniff of a Grand Slam title, this match had the makings for some drama. None better than the Italian group hug at match's end.
