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Jelena Ostapenko beats Simona Halep to win 2017 French Open title

Jelena Ostapenko defeated Simona Halep in three sets to win the 2017 French Open.
Jamie Lisanti|
Jelena Ostapenko beats Simona Halep to win 2017 French Open title
Jelena Ostapenko beats Simona Halep to win 2017 French Open title

Jelena Ostapenko's first professional tennis title is a Grand Slam title. The 20-year-old had made only one WTA final coming into the French Open, but she played an incredible match to beat No. 3-seeded Simoan Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday to win the 2017 French Open title. 

After trailing by a set a 3-0, Ostapenko stormed back and with a forehand winner, sent the women's final to a deciding set on Philippe Chatrier. In the final set, Ostapenko continued her powerful hitting and aggressive game to take down Halep. 

With the win, Ostapenko becomes the Latvia's first Grand Slam champion and the first unseeded woman to win the French Open in the Open Era (since 1968). 

The last person to win their first professional tennis title at a Grand Slam was Gustavo Kuerten on June 8, 1997—unbelievably, the same day Ostapenko was born.

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Jamie Lisanti
JAMIE LISANTI

Jamie Lisanti is the Managing Editor, Features and Special Projects at Sports Illustrated. She started her career as an SI reporter in 2014 and since then, her work has spanned tennis, college basketball, Olympics, women's sports and more. She leads SI’s editorial franchises and tentpole event coverage, including Sportsperson of the Year, Digital Covers, Sports & Style and The Power List. A former college soccer player, she is also a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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