Chanelle

South Africa’s tennis highlight, Chanelle Scheepers, has finally been beaten at the Roland Garros tournament after falling victim to no. 5 seed Elena Dementieva, who ended the surprising stay of 131st-ranked qualifier, in Paris on Monday, 31 May, 2010.

Surprising pundits and confirming the faith of her supporters, Scheepers breezed past France’s Mathilde Johansson 6-2 6-4 in her opening match before conceding a set to Argentinean Gisela Dulko before claiming the match 3-6 6-3 6-4; going on to strike a straight-sets 6-3-6-3 win over Uzbekistan’s Akgul Amandmuradova for her third win and the unlikely opportunity to upset Dementieva in the prestigious tournament’s quarter-finals.

The diminutive 26-year old suffered a first-round exit at the 2009 event last year, but made certain of staking her claim to further greatness on the international stage this year, where her tenacity earned her recognition as the first South African woman to make it to the world’s favourite clay court’s quarter-finals since 1996, when Conchita Martinez beat Amanda Coetzer.