By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, June 10, 2017
Remnants of red clay streaked her legs as Jelena Ostapenko tried to stay in step with Simona Halep.
Clay-court tennis demands patience and Roland Garros requires careful point construction.
Watch: Jelena Ostapenko
Staring down a one-set, 0-3 deficit in the French Open final, Ostapenko was in no mood to play the waiting game.
The 20-year-old Latvian blew up the traditional tactical blue-print and blasted her way into history.
In a brilliant display of first-strike tennis, Ostapenko punished 54 winners roaring through 12 of the final 16 games hitting Halep right off the court, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, to capture her first career championship in the Roland Garros final.
"I’m really happy and really happy to represent my country," the first Latvian to capture a Grand Slam singles title told NBC's Mary Carillo afterward "I’m really happy to win here. I still can’t believe I won here. It was my dream always and I’m happy it came true."
Arriving in Paris as a 47th-ranked teenager winless in two prior trips to Paris, the former professional ballroom dancer capped an inspired run to raising the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.
Playing with the exuberance of a college kid on an extended spring break, Ostapenko outslugged danger every time it threatened her.
This was fearless tennis and fun to watch. The 2014 Wimbledon junior champion crafted her fourth comeback from a set down in the tournament after fighting back to topple former US Open champion Samantha Stosur in the round of 16 before conquering former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.
Her first career title is a Grand Slam championship coming 20 years after Gustavo Kuerten was the last player to win his first title at Roland Garros, on June 8th, 2007, which happens to be Ostapenko's birthday. Ostapenko is the first woman to win her maiden title in a major since Christine O'Neil did it 39 years ago at the Australian Open.
The emotionally-expressive baseliner with a love of the bold strike celebrated her 20th birthday on Thursday fighting past two-time semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky in the semifinals. She took down two-time finalist Halep with conviction blasting 46 more winners and converting eight of 19 break points.
It’s an absolutely gut-wrenching defeat for Halep, who was playing for her first Grand Slam title and to surpass Angelique Kerber as the 23rd woman and first Romanian to seize the world No. 1 ranking.
The 25-year-old Romanian carried an 18-2 clay-court record onto the court. Halep had points for a one-set, 4-0 lead, but could not convert then built a 3-1 third-set lead but could not withstand the battering drives from across the net.
Ultimately, Halep's lack of a finishing shot, combined with Ostapenko's ballistic ball left the third seed feeling powerless at crunch time.
"She played really well," Halep said. "All the credit to her. She was hitting very strong. At some point I was like a spectator on court. She deserves to win. It’s tough. It’s a tough moment for me, but I hope it’s gonna go away with time."
The 2008 Roland Garros girls’ champion was aiming to become the sixth woman in history to capture both the junior and professional Roland Garros championships and first since Justine Henin to do it. Halep showed class in her post-match speech to the crowd.
“It’s a tough day of course because I didn’t win,” Halep said in addressing her support team, including her parents and coach, Darren Cahill. “Let’s keep working and let’s believe.
“Maybe I was not ready to win it. Hopefully, I can play another final here in the future and win it. It’s my dream.”
The first meeting between adidas endorsers wearing identical ivory-and-green presented a clear stylistic clash pitting Ostapenko’s racquet-rattling power against Halep’s running precision. There was no feeling-out period—they both burst out of the blocks on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Ostapenko bolted a backhand down the line breaking at love to open. Halep responded immediately breaking back at 30.
It’s been two days since Ostapenko celebrated her 20th birthday. On any day she can bash with the best of them.
Holding nothing back, the Latvian gave Halep a jolting dose of her raw power lasering a running forehand down the line in holding at 15 to level after four games.
That crunching forehand was the biggest shot on the court. Ostapenko hammered heavy forehands rattling a second break for 3-2.
Extending points to make the harder hitter play shots on the move, Halep broke right back inciting a burst of “See-Moana! See-Moana!” chants from Romanian fans. Those chants spiked again as Halep worked through a tricky deuce test for 4-3.
Chasing the service toss behind her head can sometimes create complications for Ostapenko—she hit 25 double faults en route to the final and can’t consistently hit the wide slider on the deuce side—and Halep attacked a second serve for set point.
When Ostapenko whacked a forehand long, Halep had her third break and the 38-minute opening set.
The first 10 games were played primarily on the first-time major finalist’s terms. Ostapenko’s brand of grip and rip tennis can be jarring. She hit 13 more winners than the 2014 finalist—14 to 1—but Halep patiently withstood the shot-making storm drawing 23 errors from Ostapenko.
Tested in the opening game of the second set, Halep fought off triple break point to stamp a gritty hold.
Engaging the third set in crosscourt forehand exchanges, Ostapenko created some early success stepping in to drive her forehand down the line. But she pressed the issue on that play and scattered a few forehands down the, including a wild miss and frustrated glare toward her box, as she dropped serve for the second time in a row.
A smooth moving Halep played high-percentage crosscourt during deuce games essentially daring Ostapenko to change direction and take more risk over the higher part of the net. That tactic helped Halep grind through another deuce hold for a 3-0 second-set lead.
Obstinacy infuses Ostapenko’s decision-making on court. Teetering on the edge of going down a double break, she didn’t pull back or back down. Tripping a double fault off the tape, Ostapenko encountered a third break point at the one-hour mark.
The world No. 47 hammered through the triple break point ordeal gaining a supportive cheer from fans after earning a hard-fought hold in the fourth game.
"I was just trying to enjoy the match and fight for every point and every shot and I think it really helped me," Ostapenko said. "I was just trying to stay aggressive. I knew if I would stay aggressive I would start to feel my game and do less mistakes."
Empowered, Ostapenko unloaded deep drives breaking back for 2-3.
Nodding reassurance to herself after misses, Ostapenko laced the line with a forehand return for break point. Storming forward, she swept a swing forehand volley breaking for the fourth time. By then, Ostapenko had hammered 32 winners compared to four for the two-time finalist.
Digging in, Halep tested the shot tolerance of her explosive opponent and coaxed errors breaking back to level. Undaunted, Ostapenko pounded through a love break—the 10th break in 19 games—to go up 5-4 and serve to force a decider.
A running rally ended with Ostapenko slashing her signature shot—that booming forehand down the line—to force a final set at 85 minutes of play. It was the fifth time in seven matches Ostapenko would go the distance.
The grounds crew watered the court prior to the start of the decider, which may well have created slighter slower conditions benefitting the quicker Romanian.
The grip-and-rip game Ostapenko played so effectively grew sporadic in the fourth game. She sailed a series of down the line drives as Halep broke for 3-1.
Exhorting herself between points, Ostapenko cleaned the baseline with a flat forehand return breaking back.
Nearly knocking Halep backward with the velocity of a volatile return, Ostapenko earned double break point in the seventh game. Hard hitters can sometimes benefit from tight nets. Ostapenko pounded a return that seemed certain to go wide but collided with the tape and dribbled over on Halep’s side. That fortunate bounce gave Ostapenko, raising arms in apology, her third straight game and a 4-3 lead.
Showing no trace of nerve, Ostapenko continued straddling the baseline swatting winners with conviction.
Cranking a crosscourt backhand she held at 15 for 5-3. Ostapenko was four points from becoming the first woman since Jennifer Capriati 16 years ago to drop the first set and rise to the title.
The only remaining question was could she keep her composure and finish off her first championship?
"Pressure is a privilege," Hall of Famer Billie Jean King famously said.
On this day, Ostapenko pulverised pressure.
Ostapenko concluded a masterful two-hour performance slugging a backhand return winner down the line then tossing her Wilson racquet aside and skipping across the clay, the one-time dancing queen now a Grand Slam queen.