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Simona Halep to play unseeded Jelena Ostapenko for first major title, No. 1 ranking

Simona Halep will play for her first major title and the WTA No. 1 ranking against unseeded Jelena Ostapenko in Saturday's French Open final.
Jon Wertheim|
Simona Halep to play unseeded Jelena Ostapenko for first major title, No. 1 ranking
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. 

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Jon Wertheim
JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.

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