Halep wins in Roland Garros final, has first Grand Slam
The Romanian beat Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to end her drought of major titles.
Simona Halep had reached three Grand Slam finals before this match, but lost all of them. Last year, she also reached the final match at Roland Garros but lost to Jelena Ostapenko - when she was still a little-known 20-year-old.
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Halep burst into joy after defeating Stephens. Photo:AP. |
Despite her excellent form - she is the highest-scoring player and currently the number one player on the WTA Tour - there were concerns for Halep as she faced US Open champion Sloane Stephens. The American has proven herself to be a big-match star, winning all six finals she has played. The concerns for Halep were compounded by the number one seed's early disadvantage.
The match started at a high level with both players feeling their racquets well. They forced each other to move and created space for their shots. A good return of second serve gave Stephens the first break point and she capitalised with a force-out.
The US Open champion was solid in the remaining games of the first set, not giving Halep a chance to level the score. Stephens ended the first set with just six unforced errors compared to her opponent's 17.
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Stephens started well but was increasingly outmatched by his opponent. Photo:AP. |
Things continued to go in Stephens' favour as she broke in the opening game of the second set. Her boyfriend, former US international Jozy Altidore, was all smiles on the Chatrier court. Stephens seemed to have the game in her hands but she made a disastrous double fault, giving Halep a 30-0 lead in the fourth game. The world number one seized the opportunity by hitting two consecutive winners to win her opponent's service game.
Stephens' two consecutive unforced errors cost her her fourth straight game and a break. However, the American returned the break in the next game to level the score at 4-4. In game 10, Stephens continued to make errors on her backhand and once again let her opponent break her.
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Halep lifted the Roland Garros Cup - her first Grand Slam title. Photo:Reuters. |
The 10th seed continued to slide after being tied by her opponent. Halep won the first five games of the deciding set. In the two times she won her opponent's serve, she showed her superiority by predicting her opponent's moves and scoring winners.
With such a huge lead, Stephens could only win her only service game in the third set before eventually losing. Halep finished the match with a serve-out point and became the first Romanian to win a Grand Slam since Virginia Ruzici won at Roland Garros in 1978.
