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Simona Halep trumps Sloane Stephens to win French Open
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. The world number one 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. 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.
Updated on: Jun 09, 2018 10:28 PM IST
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Simona Halep celebrates with the trophy after winning the final against Sloane Stephens at Roland Garros, Paris, France on June 9, 2018. (REUTERS)
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Simona Halep started the game poorly. (REUTERS)
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Sloane Stephens won the first set with relative ease. (AFP)
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However, Simona Halep won the second set after some dominating forehands. (AFP)
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Sloane Stephens panicked a bit after the second set and made too many unforced errors. (AFP)
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Halep won the third set with ease to clinch a maiden Grand Slam. (REUTERS)
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Halep embraces Stephens after winning the final. (REUTERS)
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