Simona Halep to play unseeded Jelena Ostapenko for first major title, No. 1 ranking
PARIS – One can imagine the pressure on both of the second coupling of women's semifinalists at Roland Garros on Thursday.
While neither Karolina Pliskova nor Simona Halep has won a major, both have reached a final. And they took the court knowing their opponent Saturday would be an unseeded player who just turned 20 years old. Oh, you want more pressure? Both Halep and Pliskova knew that—for all intents—the winner of this match would take over the No. 1 ranking.
Despite that hefty backdrop, both players played unruffled tennis and did as they often do: Pliskova served bombs and painted lines with her fearsome forehand. Halep chased down every ball, showed off her exceptional movement and, above all, newfound fight.
Get to know 20-year-old surprise French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko
Earlier this year, she split briefly with her coach, Darren Cahill, on account of her defeatism on the court. For the second straight day there was none of that in evidence. In fact, quite the contrary. After dropping the second set, Halep was steadier in the third and closed the match 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. She'll be the favorite in the final Saturday, and her first major would complement her No. 1 ranking nicely.
