PARIS, June 10, 2017
Jelena Ostapenko rallies past Simona Halep in Saturday’s women’s final at Roland Garros, winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 20-year-old from Latvia hit 54 winners and broke serve eight times, thundering a backhand down the line to win the French Open after just under two hours of play.
Jelena Ostapenko wins her maiden Grand Slam title! https://t.co/tm3KSlKacZ
1er titre du Grand Chelem pour Jelena Ostapenko #RG17 pic.twitter.com/yVyxLPJuOO
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) 10. Juni 2017
“I think I cannot believe I’m the Roland Garros champion. I’m only 20 years old. I’m really happy. I have no words, it was my dream,” told Ostapenko, who clinched her debut tour-level title at Grand Slam. The last woman, who did it was Barbara Jordan at 1979 Australian Open.
“I’m really happy, but I still have to improve some things and to get better as player. And so I will work hard to climb the ranking and to maybe win some more titles. I’m looking forward to Wimbledon because grass is
one of my favorite surfaces. In three weeks, I’m going to get ready for that.”
The World No. 47 became the first unseeded woman to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup since 1933. She emulated Gustavo Kuerten, by making the French Open her first career title, the feat the Brazilian achieved in 1997 on the day Ostapenko was born.
