French Open 2011 Women's Final: Francesca Vs. Na

Did anyone see this coming? Of all the combinations for finalists I don't think anyone would have chosen the defending champ who has not reached a final since winning last year and the Australian Open finalist who lost her next 4 first round matches and most of her confidence. But here we are.

Francesca rode the tide from her win at Roland Garros last year as long as she could, but was never able to conjure up the same magic during the ensuing grass and hardcourt seasons. Even by the year-end championships she was still not able to use her versatility and passion to do as well as one would have hoped. By the Australian Open, however, she seemed to start finding a bit of mojo as she came through a barn-burner match with Svetlana Kuznetsova that is the longest women's grand slam match in history. The last set alone last over two hours. She played some magnificent ball to win it, but came up short in the clutch against Caroline Wozniacki. Too much tennis and too much energy expended. After the Aussie she had mixed results but nothing one would call good results. It seemed she was biding her time to get back on her preferred surface. But even then she struggled the first few tournaments. Only in Rome did the pieces start coming together again.

Na had similar struggles after her Australian Open campaign. From the excellent form that took her to a rousing win against Clijsters in Sydney and the Australion Open final where she lost in a tough final, she suddenly went walkabout. Maybe the coaching arrangement with her husband that had helped her get to a certain point in her development had stopped working. She sought outside coaching assistance with Michael Mortensen. He has allowed her to trust her own instincts on court and that has made all the difference. Immediately after the change her play started to improve.

Their paths to the final have not been parallel. Francesca's path was a little rocky. She was down a set and 4-1 in her quarterfinal match until she loosened up and remembered to just "play tennis". Her semi-final against Marion Bartoli could have been a stern test, but the match-up was never a good one for Bartoli (who has lost to Frankie in 4 or their previous 5 matches). Francesca was sublime. After an initial first round struggle Na has taken a determined path through her side of the draw. The dangerous Kvitova took her to 3 sets, but otherwise she was able to quietly progress mostly in straights. Her performance against Sharapova was about as solid as it gets. Sure Maria helped with 10 double faults, the last one painfully on match point. But she pressed on her serve because she knew that Na was going to punish her for less than the best.

So here we are with our unlikely finalists. They are the oldest grand slam finals pairing since Wimbledon 1998 at 60 years and 79 days. But they are playing some pretty great tennis. Francesca with her spins, angles, topspin, net rushing, and creative flair -- Na with her deep groundstrokes, great use of angles, and solid defense and movement. To be honest I have no idea who will come out on top in this one. If Francesca serves the way she has in her previous matches (starting slowly and with many faults) it could be a rough day as Na pounces all over her with first strike tennis. But if Francesca is able to dictate play and keep this from being a contest about pounding groundstrokes she will have her best chance at a title defense. I will give Francesca the nod because of her experience. Last year's final is still very fresh in her mind and she wants to taste success again with another kiss to the "terre battue".
Francesca in 3.