PARIS: Her serve raced through the early-evening air. The response was a forehand that found the net. Simona Halep's grip around her racket loosened. She closed her eyes and covered her face. She had finally embraced her dream.
ALSO READ: Factbox: French Open champion Simona Halep
"This is the moment I was waiting for since I was 14," the 26-year-old, who suffered heartbreaks in her first three major finals, said. Halep then turned to her box. Darren Cahill, the coach who steered her career, had thrown his arms up in the air. Sloane Stephens, ever-gracious, walked around the net to congratulate one of the most-loved champions in the sport.
It was an emotional affair, the last-pages of a fairytale. Only it may just be the beginning of Halep's time at the top of tennis. It was definitely her evening. She came back from a set and a break down, wiping out memories of last year's final, where she lost from a similar situation, to clinch a stunning 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win for her first Grand Slam title - the French Open. Halep then used the support of courtside stewards to climb up on to the stands and embrace family and friends, before collapsing into Cahill's arms.
Halep received the trophy from Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, a three-time winner of Roland Garros. "Last year was tough," she said clutching the silverware. The top-seed thanked the crowd that was behind her, saying she felt their support, especially in the seventh game of the third set, when serving for the title. "When I was a set and a break down, I thought everything was gone, now just relax and enjoy the match," Halep, the second Romanian woman after Virginia Ruzici (1978) to triumph at Roland Garros, said. "I'm happy that I won my first title here in Paris, my special city."
For the first set and two games of the second it looked like the world No.1 was up against Sloane 'The-Wall' Stephens. The American missed nothing, stalking the clay, taking ownership.
The world No.10, an inch taller than her opponent, hits a mean, flat ball that skims the net. Sometimes it flies so low, you think it's going through the net, not over. She controls rallies by the weight of her shot-making, getting up on her toes to hit her forehand, like a ballerina on a turn. Stephens, who engaged in a rather gentle warm-up with her coach before getting on the court, a little stretching, some one-sided football, doesn't come across as the most athletic of players. But she can get around, get into position quickly. She returned drop shots with a sharper variation that left a chaser like Halep woefully short.
Something, however, turned at 2-0 in the second set. It may have been all the steps the Romanian had earlier put into the chase, or her experience more than expertise, or just her will, shaken but not broken, that kicked into play in her fourth major final. The 26-year-old charged ahead 4-2. Then, after the top-seed held for 5-4, the filled-to-capacity stands broke into 'See-Mo-Na' See-Mo-Na', urging their player.
After levelling set scores, Halep followed Stephens off the court, carrying a change of clothes. Cahill, who has played a huge role in the Romanian adopting a positive mindset, fighting past physical and mental barriers, stood applauding the no.1.
When the players started the final set on freshly swept courts, the chalk sparkling under a tame sun, it was clear that the final was no more a physical affair. It was going to be a chess game. Halep, from Constanta, a historic city on the shores of the Black Sea, charged to a 4-0 lead, breaking the American twice. When the Romanian closed out a sharp exchange at the net that came after a lot of chasing, she clenched her fist and pointed at her box. But Halep still needed to close out, which she did three games later, delivering the American her first loss in finals.
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ALSO READ: Factbox: French Open champion Simona Halep
"This is the moment I was waiting for since I was 14," the 26-year-old, who suffered heartbreaks in her first three major finals, said. Halep then turned to her box. Darren Cahill, the coach who steered her career, had thrown his arms up in the air. Sloane Stephens, ever-gracious, walked around the net to congratulate one of the most-loved champions in the sport.
It was an emotional affair, the last-pages of a fairytale. Only it may just be the beginning of Halep's time at the top of tennis. It was definitely her evening. She came back from a set and a break down, wiping out memories of last year's final, where she lost from a similar situation, to clinch a stunning 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win for her first Grand Slam title - the French Open. Halep then used the support of courtside stewards to climb up on to the stands and embrace family and friends, before collapsing into Cahill's arms.
Halep received the trophy from Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, a three-time winner of Roland Garros. "Last year was tough," she said clutching the silverware. The top-seed thanked the crowd that was behind her, saying she felt their support, especially in the seventh game of the third set, when serving for the title. "When I was a set and a break down, I thought everything was gone, now just relax and enjoy the match," Halep, the second Romanian woman after Virginia Ruzici (1978) to triumph at Roland Garros, said. "I'm happy that I won my first title here in Paris, my special city."
For the first set and two games of the second it looked like the world No.1 was up against Sloane 'The-Wall' Stephens. The American missed nothing, stalking the clay, taking ownership.
The world No.10, an inch taller than her opponent, hits a mean, flat ball that skims the net. Sometimes it flies so low, you think it's going through the net, not over. She controls rallies by the weight of her shot-making, getting up on her toes to hit her forehand, like a ballerina on a turn. Stephens, who engaged in a rather gentle warm-up with her coach before getting on the court, a little stretching, some one-sided football, doesn't come across as the most athletic of players. But she can get around, get into position quickly. She returned drop shots with a sharper variation that left a chaser like Halep woefully short.
Something, however, turned at 2-0 in the second set. It may have been all the steps the Romanian had earlier put into the chase, or her experience more than expertise, or just her will, shaken but not broken, that kicked into play in her fourth major final. The 26-year-old charged ahead 4-2. Then, after the top-seed held for 5-4, the filled-to-capacity stands broke into 'See-Mo-Na' See-Mo-Na', urging their player.
After levelling set scores, Halep followed Stephens off the court, carrying a change of clothes. Cahill, who has played a huge role in the Romanian adopting a positive mindset, fighting past physical and mental barriers, stood applauding the no.1.
When the players started the final set on freshly swept courts, the chalk sparkling under a tame sun, it was clear that the final was no more a physical affair. It was going to be a chess game. Halep, from Constanta, a historic city on the shores of the Black Sea, charged to a 4-0 lead, breaking the American twice. When the Romanian closed out a sharp exchange at the net that came after a lot of chasing, she clenched her fist and pointed at her box. But Halep still needed to close out, which she did three games later, delivering the American her first loss in finals.
Read this story in Marathi Read this story in Bengali
Source : timesofindia[dot]indiatimes[dot]com
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