The French Open might have lacked the star power provided by absentees
Serena Williams,
Maria Sharapova or first-round upset victim, world No. 1
Angelique Kerber. But it still ended up getting a compelling final that was not entirely predictable -- but not entirely surprising, either.
Simona Halep, the No. 3 seed, former finalist and odds-on favorite to win the event going in, slogged through in the bottom half. Halep, who has shriveled in the face of great opportunity more than once in the past, stood her ground and survived.
Her opponent will be a newcomer to the Grand Slam big stage, much like some forecasted when the realities of this year's draw coalesced -- of course no one knew who that newcomer would be. The major final debutante who punched through was
Jelena Ostapenko, who just turned 20 on the day she won her semifinal match. To date, the Latvian has yet to win a WTA title of any description.
Martina Navratilova, commentating for the Tennis Channel, put it beautifully when she said after Ostapenko's close three-set semifinal win over crafty
Timea Bacsinszky: "Some players come of age during tournaments. Jelena Ostapenko did it right here this week."
So what does that mean for Halep, the much-loved and often-denied 25-year-old Romanian, as the women prepare to meet for the first time?
First of all, it means Halep must take control of her nerves. That job will be that much tougher because she has played a major final before and is the clear favorite. She will also rise to No. 1 in the rankings if she wins.
That's an enormous honor, which has never been achieved by a Romanian woman. Add Halep's oft-declared patriotism and you have a pressure cocktail.
"It's a big challenge," Halep conceded to reporters after her semifinal win. "It's a big thing. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen, two things in the same time."
Next, Halep will have to deal with the 5-foot-10 free-swinging opponent whose power-based game could overwhelm the Romanian.
The lack of previous matches is a plus for Ostapenko, if you consider the lower expectations. But in a high-profile situation like a Grand Slam final, it's impossible to predict how the moment will affect anyone. Ostapenko smacked 50 winners and 45 unforced errors in the semifinals; Bacsinszky's numbers were 22 and 19, respectively. The stat tells you that neither woman had a disproportionately good -- or bad -- day. But they do prove Ostapenko's racket decided more than twice as many points outright as did Bacsinszky.
Delighted after her semifinal win and seemingly oblivious to the magnitude of the coming occasion, Ostapenko told an on-court interviewer, "I was just trying to stay aggressive and to go for my shots when I could." It's bound to be her game plan on Saturday as well.
Halep will try to flummox Ostapenko's brash, impetuous mentality and booming game. Halep's best bet will be to impose a slow pace on the match. Ostapenko hasn't showed much sign of nerves, but even for a happy-go-lucky youth, the pomp and circumstance of a final is likely to make an impact at some point. Halep needs to make her wonder, "What am I doing here? Am I really ready for this?"
Halep must take care of her serve. She's been getting between 70 and 80 percent of her first serves in through the tournament. But she's serving conservatively to avoid second serves, and she only cracked the 70 percent first-serve-points-won mark once, in the semi (71 percent). Ostapenko will surely look to tee off on Halep's serve.
As a veteran at 25, Halep is well aware of what's at stake for her, too. She will have anxieties to battle and may have to dig deep and play the match of a lifetime in order to win.
SOURCES;ESPN
Martina Navratilova, commentating for the Tennis Channel, put it beautifully when she said after Ostapenko's close three-set semifinal win over crafty Timea Bacsinszky: "Some players come of age during tournaments. Jelena Ostapenko did it right here this week."
So what does that mean for Halep, the much-loved and often-denied 25-year-old Romanian, as the women prepare to meet for the first time?
First of all, it means Halep must take control of her nerves. That job will be that much tougher because she has played a major final before and is the clear favorite. She will also rise to No. 1 in the rankings if she wins.
That's an enormous honor, which has never been achieved by a Romanian woman. Add Halep's oft-declared patriotism and you have a pressure cocktail.
"It's a big challenge," Halep conceded to reporters after her semifinal win. "It's a big thing. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen, two things in the same time."
Next, Halep will have to deal with the 5-foot-10 free-swinging opponent whose power-based game could overwhelm the Romanian.
The lack of previous matches is a plus for Ostapenko, if you consider the lower expectations. But in a high-profile situation like a Grand Slam final, it's impossible to predict how the moment will affect anyone. Ostapenko smacked 50 winners and 45 unforced errors in the semifinals; Bacsinszky's numbers were 22 and 19, respectively. The stat tells you that neither woman had a disproportionately good -- or bad -- day. But they do prove Ostapenko's racket decided more than twice as many points outright as did Bacsinszky.
No comments