Simona Halep. Photo: Reuters

On Saturday for the title of winner of the Open championship of France will face Simona Halep and Sloane Stephens.

THE PRESTIGIOUS STEVENS

Women’s tennis now is such. You can expect anything. Even an American not named Serena Williams in the final of a clay tournament “Grand slam”. Stevens is a unique tennis player.

She may not play for a year due to serious injuries, the fall in ranking in the area of the 1000-th place, and then take and give the super series tournaments, completing its triumph on the home major – the US Open. Can play not shaky, not shakily, conceding early, and then take supertitous in Miami. Wanted and were able. If spontaneity is the credo of this 25-year-old tennis player.

Many people wonder how great Stevens looks at the ground. And she playfully Sloan explains: “I just like to play on this surface. It is very different from those we usually play during the season, so I just want to have fun”. And it’s really evident by the way she looks on the court, and how it behaves during the game.

Experts note excellent physical readiness American women and how well she moves around the court. And how it was to be universal – can stand in defense, and might be good to attack. What she did in the quarterfinal match against Darya Kasatkina.

On the way to the final Stevens had lost only one set – Camilla, Georgie, in the third round. The match ended with the score 8:6 in the decisive game, got to 10th “seeded” the most difficult in the tournament. The other four competitors – Arance brown, Magdalena Frej, Anette Kontaveit and Kasatkina she was not given more than four games, and his compatriot and close friend Madison Keys in the semifinals, defeated with the score 6:4, 6:4.

At Stevens, there is another admirable trait: she never lost the finals at the WTA level, and “Grand slams”. If it gets to this stage, the opponent survives. In his six title matches the American gave up just one game. And that at a modest tournament in Acapulco.

In the case that Stevens will take the title in Paris, the number of victories on tournaments “the Grand slam” it will catch up with Svetlana Kuznetsova, Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova and Garbinie the Wind. Amazing, isn’t it?

THE TIME FOR HALEP

That title in Paris will play Simona Halep, the few who had doubts. It was called a favorite of Roland Garros, the number one in different versions. Even you can say that Paris the ground is his territory.

Romanian a little bit scared, when he lost the first set of the tournament Alison Riske with the score 2:6. Another batch she gave Angelik Kerber in the quarterfinals. But in General, the first “seeded” throughout the two weeks looked on court very confident and stable. Especially against the champion of Roland Garros in 2016 Muguruza in the semi-finals, almost without giving the opportunity at least to do something. Victory over the Spaniard meant that Halep will remain in first place in the WTA rankings, and now the 26-year-old tennis player from Constanta can focus on the main mission – a long-awaited victory at the tournament “Grand slam”.

Halep has twice played in the finals of Roland Garros. In 2014 she, not being a mistress, gave battle to Maria Sharapova, but lost in three sets. In 2017, when she put absolutely everything she had in the asset set and led to a break in the second, but in the end gave the victory to Elena Ostapenko.

This year, the Romanian played in the title meeting at the Australian Open, she also was crazy too and ended not in her favor. After the exhausting match against Caroline Wozniacki, she ended up in the hospital with dehydration. Diligently Romanian really wants to win majors, but every time, approaching the ship, is lost.

After the defeat in the final in Melbourne Simon said to his coach, the Australian Darren Cahill: “I Hope our third joint final get happy.” And after the semi-finals with Mugurusi she posted in her Instagram photo, the signature to which, addressed to the mentor, said: “Proud of.” So there is no doubt that on Saturday it will fight on the court more for his team.

The final will be for Halep is special for another reason. The fact that this year marks 40 years since then, as the last Romanian won the tournament “Grand slam”. It was Virginia Ruzici, winning just in time for Roland Garros. This year in Paris honored the former champion, which is now… the Manager of Halep.

From a technical and tactical point of view Halep has everything to win on Saturday the Open championship of France, a question of psychology. And the big question. Do not falter does it again at the crucial moment? Won’t burn up or from a great desire? Do not surrender before the opponent, which is obviously going to play for fun?

HALEP – STEPHENS – 5:2

Halep leads the opponents in the final in personal meetings 5:2. She twice beat her on the ground – including at Roland Garros in 2014 – twice last season – 7:6, 6:0 in Washington and 6:2, 6:1 in Cincinnati.

How will culminate in Saturday’s final, almost impossible to predict, but given what the game showed him participating in the last two weeks, we can assume and hope that the game will be entertaining and interesting.

Maria NIKULUSHKINA, Sport-Express