French Open: Simona Halep downs Karolina Pliskova in second semifinal clash

Simona Halep will become world number one if she defeats Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in the French Open final on Saturday.

Updated on: Jun 9, 2017, 01:51:49 IST

Reuters, Paris | By Anonymous

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Romanian Simona Halep showed the full extent of her defensive skills to beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 and reach her second French Open final on Thursday.

Romania's Simona Halep celebrates winning her French Open semi final match against Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova. (REUTERS)

The third seed, who will become world number one if she defeats Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in Saturday’s showdown, benefited from her opponent’s unforced errors in the first set before Pliskova rediscovered her touch.

READ | Jelena Ostapenko blazes past Timea Bacsinszky to reach French Open final

Overwhelmed by Pliskova’s power in the second set, Halep regained the momentum in the decider, frustrating her second-seeded opponent with her ability to soak up punishment.

She ended the contest on her first match point with an unreturnable serve to reach her second Roland Garros final after losing the first one to Maria Sharapova in 2014.

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