Top seeded Simona Halep, has finally got the chance to claim her first French Open title on Thursday. She beat third seeded, Garbine Muguruza, in the semi-final’s 6-1 and 6-4.
Halep will face Sloane Stephens, on Saturday, after beating fellow American, Muruguza, in a nail-biting 6-4, 6-4 victory. Halep has lost three previous Grand Slam finals, which includes two at Roland Garros in 2014 and 2017.
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Halep described this game as ‘one of her best matches on clay’. She proved her credentials with a dominant and gutsy win over the 2016 champion Muguruza, who failed to hold Halep’s serve in the first set. One thing Halep will not want to dwell on is the fact she has won only one of her past eight finals.
Wimbledon-champion Muguruza handed her serve over in the first game with a double fault on break point and Halep raced 5-0 ahead in the opening set. Halep lost focus to allow Muguruza to claw back one break, but only to break again and seal the first set in 36 minutes.
Muguruza was not able to reach the level at which Halep was playing at. She described Halep’s performance as ‘lightning’. The 24-year-old improved in the early stages of the second set, holding serve for the first time and backing it up with a break on her way to a 3-1 lead. The game then became 4-2 before Halep broke back for 4-4 and then held serve in a 14-minute game which went to a seventh deuce and saw Muguruza blow three break points.
Halep broke to love as Muguruza wilted in the next game, sealing her third final appearance at Roland Garros. She hopes on ensuring that she will stay as world number one after the tournament. Therefore, her total focus is towards winning the final game against Sloane Stephens.