2017 Roland Garros Women’s Singles Final Preview

On Saturday, 10th June 2017, Jelena Ostapenko and Simona Halep will fight for the 2017 Roland Garros championship. 20 year old Ostapenko will be playing her first Major final whereas Halep will play her 2nd Major final, the first one too came at Roland Garros in 2014 against Maria Sharapova.

Ostapenko is bidding for her first WTA title, whereas Halep will play for her first Major win. Halep will also play for the No.1 ranking. Winning tomorrow would take her to the No.1 spot in the WTA rankings.

Jelena Ostapenko

WTA Rank: 47
Year to Date W-L= 28-11
Career W-L= 163-84

Road to the 2017 Roland Garros Final:

1R: bt. L . Chirico 4-6 6-3 6-2
2R: bt. M. Puig 6-3 6-2
3R: bt. L. Tsurenko 6-1 6-4
4R: bt. [23] S. Stosur 2-6 6-2 6-4
QF: bt. [11] C. Wozniacki 4-6 6-2 6-2
SF: bt. [30] T. Bacsinszky 7-6 3-6 6-3

Total Sets Won/Played: 12/16
Total Time on Court: 10 hr 23 mins

20 year Old Latvian Ostapenko has been a revelation this Roland Garros. The unseeded sensation made it to her first Major final of her career. Ostapenko has surprised everyone by reaching this stage of the tournament. She has beaten the likes of Samantha Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki on the road to the final. If she wins tomorrow it will be one of the rare ocassions where an unseeded player won a Major. Also, it would be in a long time where the first career title won by a WTA player was a Major. Win or not a star is on the rise.

Simona Halep

WTA Rank: 4
Year to Date W-L= 24-6
Career W-L= 383-175

Road to the 2017 Roland Garros Final:

1R: bt. J. Cepelova 6-2 6-3
2R: bt. T. Maria 6-4 6-3
3R: bt. [26] D. Kasatkina 6-0 7-5
4R: bt. [21] C. Suarez Navarro 6-1 6-1
QF: bt. [5] E. Svitolina 3-6 7-6 6-0
SF: bt. [2] K. Pliskova 6-4 3-6 6-3

Total Sets Won/Played: 12/14
Total Time on Court: 08 hr 53 mins

25 year old Romanian Simona Halep had been on a good run in the build up to the Roland Garros. She won the Madrid Open and lost in finals in Rome to Elina Svitolina during which she had twisted her ankle. Her participation in the 2017 Roland Garros was in doubt and she had said that it was ’50-50′. But she recovered and breezed through the first 4 rounds without dropping a set. She survived a scare against Elina Svitolina in the QFs where she was a set and 1-5 down, but recovered and won the match. In the SFs, she beat the 2nd Seed Karolina Pliskova in 3 sets. Halep will play her 2nd Major final after losing the first to Maria Sharapova at the 2014 Roland Garros. Winning this would take her to the No.1 ranking.

Come Saturday, the winner will be tough to predict as both the players will have a point to prove. It is a huge occasion for both of them with a lot at stake. One will feel that Simona Halep has the advantage being the more experienced player of the two and having played at the stage once before. But one never knows as Grand Slams always throw new champions and surprises. Tomorrow’s final will be a treat for the tennis fans. Whoever wins, we will have a new Grand Slam Champion.