Jelena Ostapenko roars back to shock Simona Halep, win her first French Open
By Kareem Gantt
In a comeback for the ages, Jelena Ostapenko overcame an early deficit to claim her first Grand Slam title at the 2017 French Open.
On Friday, Jelena Ostapenko celebrated her 20th birthday. On Saturday, she celebrated her first Grand Slam title at the 2017 French Open.
After digging herself a hole against the No.3 seed and favorite Simona Halep, Ostapenko roared back to snatch the Grand Slam title out of the Romanian’s hands. Ostapenko, who came in unranked and battled fiercely to reach the final match, was painted as the decided underdog to Halep. She played the part early on, losing the first set 6-4 and falling 3-0 down in the second set.
Halep looked set to become the first Romanian to capture a Grand Slam tournament since Virginia Ruzici did it in 1978.
But Ostapenko had other ideas.
She reached into her bag of tricks and caught Halep’s foot off the gas pedal. Ostapenko would capture six of the next seven matches to set up a third set.
Halep broke first in the decider, going up 3-1, but Ostapenko battled back, just has she has done countless times throughout this French Open, to tie the set at 3-3. The 20-year-old took control from there, winning the next three games to win her first ever Grand Slam title.
Even if she had lost, Ostapenko had already claimed her spot as women’s tennis’ up-and-coming star. But her inspiring come-from-behind victory added another element to this youngster’s still developing legacy.
This year’s Roland Garros was full of upsets, with last year’s winner Garbine Muguruza exiting in the round of 16. Halep, who beat the No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova in the semis, was also seeking her first Grand Slam title. The 25-year-old’s search for a major continues. Her first chance will come at Wimbledon, which begins in a little under a month.