Halep wins in the Roland Garros final, has her first Grand Slam
The Romanian beat Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to end her title drought at major tournaments.
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 star player in the big games, winning all six finals she has played. The concerns for Halep were heightened when the number one seed was at a disadvantage.
The early game was a high-quality affair with both players feeling their racquets well. They forced each other to move and create space for shots to score. A good second return 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 finished the first set with just six unforced errors compared to her opponent's 17.
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Stephens started well but the more he fought, the weaker he became compared to his opponent. Photo:AP. |
Things continued to go in Stephens' favour as she broke in the opening game of the second set. In the stands at Chatrier Stadium, her boyfriend, former US soccer player Jozy Altidore, was all smiles. Stephens seemed to have the match in her hands, but she made a disastrous double fault, giving Halep a 30-0 lead in game four. The world number one seized the opportunity by hitting two consecutive winners to win her opponent's serve.
Stephens suffered two consecutive unforced errors, which 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 allowed her opponent to 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 her opponent equalized. 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-and-win point and became the first Romanian to win a Grand Slam since Virginia Ruzici won at Roland Garros in 1978.
