After a few early upsets-amongst which the shock defeat of world No.1 and defending champion, Serena Williams, by Garbine Muguruza-it was more or less clear that this year’s Roland Garros was headed for a Sharapova-Halep final showdown. The two have been the dominant figures of the clay-court season. Simona made the final in Madrid-losing to none other than Sharapova-while the Russian also triumphed in Stuttgart.
In Paris, Halep did not drop a set en route to the final. Maria’s ride on the other side was way more adventurous. The Russian was pushed hard several times, having to often come back from the brink of defeat. In her trademark style, she fought hard, playing solid tennis when it really mattered, coming from behind to defeat Sam Stosur in the fourth round, Garbine Muguruza in the quarterfinals, respectively Canadian darling, Genie Bouchard, in the semis. Maria is the ultimate fighter. She will fight and she will win because she is extremely tough mentally. She is impenetrable. She is the Iron Lady. Nothing derails her from her accomplishing her mission. She wants the victory more than anything, so even when she falls behind, she often finds a way to turn things around and achieve her goal. She proved it again at the French Open battling her way through to a third consecutive final.
Although less experienced, to me, Halep was the favourite. Simona has been in superb form this fortnight, playing smart, effective tennis. Nevertheless, Sharapova is always an extremely tough nut to crack. She will jut not go away easy. The match promised a great battle, and a great battle it was.
In one of the most entertaining Grand Slam finals in recent years, Simona Halep showed just what she’s capable of, winning four points in a row from 3-5 down to win the second set’s tiebreak and level the dispute. The decider was again topsy-turvy, with Maria once again going up in front 4-2 just to be pegged back at 4-all by the tireless Romanian. At 4-all, the Russian found that extra something that saw her win Wimbledon aged 16. A second of confusion from Simona was all it took for the match to be over. Sharapova won two rapid love games and recaptured the Parisian crown.
As said, this match had it all: stellar shot making, drama, swings in momentum, great fight backs, and, most important, emotion. Both players wanted the win so much that they gave it their all. The result was somehow fair: Maria won the crown, while Simona conquered hearts. Of course, Halep could have won the final. She was close. However she achieved something even more difficult-she won tons of hearts. Millions of people fell in love with her fabulous game. She’ll hopefully start collecting silverware soon. She is serious, hard-working, committed, and, most important, she plays with emotion. She won me over. I’m a fan! Go, Simona! Get yourself a Slam! You fully deserve it.
Sharapova, on the other hand, gave another lesson on what it means to want something bad, to refuse to give in. to believe in yourself, and to eventually prove yourself to the world as the great champion that you are. Her iron will got her the title, the fifth major of her career. And judging by her determination, this will probably not be the last one.
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| Both Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova played a fabulous match. They gave it their utmost all, but unfortunately, there could only be one winner. |
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| While Simona achieved the biggest performance of her career, Masha claimed her fifth Grand Slam crown and second Roland Garros title. |
photos: GETTY IMAGES
Sums it up perfectly. I think Simona is the most exciting "new" player in years. And she's so damn likeable.
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