World No. 1 Halep fights back from a set down to beat Sloane Stephens for her maiden Grand Slam title
Simona Halep is ecstatic after clinching her maiden Grand Slam title in Paris on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Simona Halep fought back from a set and a break down to finally claim her first Grand Slam title by beating Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a gruelling French Open final on Saturday.
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The World No. 1 had lost all three of her previous major finals, including two at Roland Garros, but staged a thrilling comeback to win after two hours and three minutes. "In the last game I felt like I could not breathe anymore", said Halep.
Stephens
It was the perfect way for the Romanian to banish the demons of her painful final defeat by Jelena Ostapenko 12 months ago, when she blew a lead of a set and 3-0. US Open champion Stephens had looked set to lift a second Grand Slam trophy when leading 6-3, 2-0, but the American 10th seed wilted in hot conditions and Halep pounced.
Halep, 26, played a scintillating deciding set in which she made only five unforced errors, breaking her major duck in style. Halep celebrated her victory in a way usually seen at Wimbledon, climbing into her box to greet friends and family. "I tried to not do the same thing as last year. It's a dream and it's so special to do it here in Paris," she said.
"When I was down a break in the second set I just tried to relax and enjoy the match." The fans at Roland Garros preceded the match with a standing ovation for seven-time Grand Slam champion Maria Bueno after the Brazilian's death on Friday aged 78. Halep had vocal support from the start on Court Philippe Chatrier, but Stephens was the better player in the baseline rallies and made an early breakthrough as two big forehands left the top seed scrambling.
The early exchanges were brutal in the Paris heat, but it was the World No. 1, who found herself being forced onto the defensive as Stephens moved 4-1 ahead.
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