It's women's semi-finals day at the French Open and in the opening match on a sun-drenched Court Philippe Chatrier, Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva takes on Italy's Fancesca Schiavone, seeded 17th
Dementieva has reached three Grand Slam semi-finals and two finals but is yet to go all the way. If the Russian does it on Sunday she will rise to number two in the world rankings
Schiavone, the only player currently ranked outside the world's top 10 to reach the last four, is making her Grand Slam semi-final debut but gets off to an assured start
Play goes with serve until game seven, when Dementieva fires off a forehand winner to break the Schiavone serve and put herself on course for the opening set
But Schiavone, the first Italian woman to appear in a Grand Slam semi-final in the Open era, hits back in the very next game, taking her fourth break point of the set when Dementieva double-faults
The set goes to a tie-break and the Russian gets the first mini-break for a 2-0 lead, but Schiavone responds by reeling off five points in a row to put one foot in the final
Dementieva does not look to be struggling but throws in the towel before the start of the second set and later reveals she has a torn left calf muscle, leaving Schiavone to celebrate reaching her first Grand Slam final
There are also celebrations for men's world number two Rafael Nadal, who turns 24 on Thursday and is presented with a spectacular birthday cake
No problems with viewing the action from this cheeky spot. A Roland Garros ball boy takes a break to catch up with the women's semi-finals
Sam Stosur and Jelena Jankovic are on court quicker than they thought and it's the Australian seventh seed who looks the brightest in the opening exchanges
The Serbian fourth seed, looking for her second Grand Slam final, is blown off the court in crushing style with the 26-year-old from Brisbane racing to take the first set 6-1 in just 24 minutes
Stosur has worked on her strength for five years and it shows, taking six games in a row in set two after trailing 0-2. Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Jankovic. Only Francesca Schiavone stands in the way of a Grand Slam title
A shocking day for Jankovic. She says: "I'm angry. It's not easy to lose like this, but it's the way the game goes. I have to be positive. I'll have another chance." And on Stosur, she adds: "She has almost the game of a man."
The match lasts just an hour and Jankovic waves bye to Roland Garros. A delighted Stosur becomes the first Australian woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Wendy Turnbull, the runner-up at the 1980 Australian Open.
The cameras get clicking as Stosur causes another shock in Paris. Schiavone awaits. The Aussie says: "I couldn't have asked to play a much better match. To do that and now be in my first final is just incredible."
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