Surprise! Schiavone, Stosur reach final

PARIS (AP) - Go figure: The women's French Open final will be between a clay-kissing Italian and a giant-killing Australian.

Francesca Schiavone will play Samantha Stosur on Saturday, the latest surprise in a week full of them at Roland Garros. Both are first-time Grand Slam finalists.

"We're both going to be excited," Stosur said. "It's a great opportunity for both of us."

Schiavone became the first Italian woman to reach a major final Thursday when opponent Elena Dementieva unexpectedly retired with a left calf injury after losing the first set 7-6 (3).

Stosur then became the first Australian woman in 30 years to reach a Grand Slam final by drubbing former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-2.

The two semifinals lasted barely two hours between them, and the first match ended abruptly. After Dementieva lost the first set, she walked up to Schiavone, who was sitting in her changeover chair, and extended a hand in concession.

In the men's semifinals today, four-time champion Rafael Nadal plays journeyman Jurgen Melzer, who never advanced beyond the third round in his previous 31 major tournaments. Another first-time Grand Slam semifinalist, Tomas Berdych, faces last year's runner-up, Robin Soderling.