Schiavone trick shot rivals Federers finest

9/04/2010 07:30:24 AM

NEW YORK – Roger Federer has a rival in the US Open trick shot department as Francesca Schiavone showed that any "between-the-legs running from the net" shot a man can do, a woman can pull off as well.

Reigning French Open champion Schiavone stole a page from the book of the Swiss tennis magician to help defeat Ukraine's 29th-seeded Alona Bondarenko 6-1, 7-5 on Friday and reach the fourth round of the US Open.

Schiavone copied tennis magician Federer's trademark back to the net and between the legs shot, a YouTube video smash hit twice over, in the 10th game of the second set on her way to holding at love to pull level at 5-5.

"I don't practice. Is just something that came," Schiavone said. "I think is one of the best, yeah."

Bondarenko lofted a shot that sent the Italian sixth seed racing to the backline. She swung her racket as she straddled the angle of the ball to the net and swatted the ball back across the net.

Federer's two famous versions of the shot were both winners, but Schiavone had to turn and race back onto the court in time to handle the return with a forehand winner to settle the point.

"Is instinct, I think," Schiavone said. "When you calculate that it's good time to do it and good ball to do it, you do it.

"Is nothing programmed. Is just instinct. Is art. Is something that's coming from inside and you have just to take in a good timing otherwise the ball fly."

Like Raphael with a racket or Botticelli with a backspin, tennis artist Schiavone finished her masterpiece in style, holding to 5-5, breaking in the 11th game and holding at love to complete the 88-minute triumph.

"I want to see it," she said. "Maybe tomorrow I try to take the DVD."

Federer famously made the same sort of shot in a US Open semi-final victory over Novak Djokovic last year and struck a similar one in his first-round US Open victory over Argentina's Brian Dabul on Monday.

"Last year's was probably a little bit more important just because it was Love-30 to go Love-40, two points away from the match, and it was a semi-final, so obviously that has a little bit of an impact," Federer said.

"But in terms of difficulty maybe this one was harder, because I had the feeling I had to run a longer distance and I was further back somehow. I had to really give the last big push at the end. I didn't have time to set it up.

"I felt like this one was incredible again."

Debate began over which Federer feat was more spectacular and the talk had barely died down when Schiavone staked her claim to beat them both.

"The process is just to calculate how the ball is coming," she said. "If it is coming too fast, you can't do it. If it's coming a little bit slower, you have the time to play a normal shot. But instinct decides to play that shot.

"And after, of course, you feel fantastic."