French champ hopes momentum carries over to grass

PARIS (AP)

For her next act, French Open champion Francesca Schiavone might want to try kissing Centre Court grass.

Wimbledon's two weeks away, and Schiavone won't have the element of surprise that she enjoyed in Paris. But the demonstrative Italian made a breakthrough last year at the All England Club, reaching the quarterfinals there for the first time, and she'll be eager to build on the momentum generated by her first Grand Slam title.

Schiavone defeated Samantha Stosur in Saturday's entertaining final, 6-4, 7-6 (2), and celebrated by kissing the clay, a ritual she began in the quarterfinals.

``To kiss the ground for me is to thank this clay, this beautiful tournament and this arena,'' she said.

Playing in her 39th major tournament and seeded 17th, Schiavone was a champion easy to applaud. Her improbable victory won praise by Grand Slam winners past and present, from Martina Navratilova to Kim Clijsters.

``Congrats Schiavo!'' Clijsters tweeted. ``Great to see one of the nicest, funniest, coolest, honest and hard-working girls win the trophy!''

President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy weighed in, phoning Schiavone with congratulations before she even left the court. She's the first Italian women's champion in the 126-year history of Grand Slam tennis.

When asked if she expects a reception from 50,000 in Rome, she said no. But she does expect a slightly expanded fan base.

``I want to go home to Mommy and Daddy,'' she said. ``This is my goal for the moment. Usually we do good dinner or good lunch, 10 people, usually. Now I think I have to buy a new house, bigger, for 50 people.''

The crowd for the final included some of those friends and relatives. She was surprised by their attendance and recounted a conversation she had with them after the match.

``I say, `What are you doing here?'

```Oh, we took a car. We came 10 hours.'

``I said, `You're crazy.'

```You didn't pay us the flight, so we had to take the car.'''

At 29, Schiavone became the oldest woman to win her first Grand Slam title in 41 years. The only other time Roland Garros has been won by a woman not seeded in the top 10 was in 1933.

``She played like a champion,'' Navratilova said. ``She is a champion. She always had it in her.''

Like many Europeans, Schiavone grew up with a special regard for the French Open, which made the victory that much sweeter.

``I really always dreamed (of) this tournament,'' she said. ``It's strange to say it, but when I call my daddy, he say to me, `I remember that you always dream this one.'

``Every morning that you wake up, you work to do something like this.''

On Monday, two weeks shy of her 30th birthday, she'll become the oldest woman in 12 years to crack the top 10 for the first time. She's expected to be ranked sixth.

There have been plenty of one-Slam wonders, from Gabriela Sabatini to Conchita Martinez to Iva Majoli. Schiavone sees no reason she can't continue her recent progress.

``Why should it finish?'' she said. ``When you have success, you should have others. It should become something continual. You can't win one thing and then disappear.''

She'll take a one-week break from the tour, then play Eastbourne as a grass-court warmup. Last year at Wimbledon she beat 2007 runner-up Marion Bartoli en route to the final eight, matching her best showing in a major tournament to that point.

She said nerves then got the best of her in a quarterfinal loss to Elena Dementieva.

``I'm excited if I think about Wimbledon,'' Schiavone said. ``Last year I did good, but I arrived at the quarter tight and I couldn't play so good in the quarter.

``The grass is something special. It's something you have to feel. You have to practice and work on it. As soon as I can, I'll start to do it.''

Can she become the first woman in eight years to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back?

``I'm curious now,'' she said. ``More than you.''