TENNIS ROLAND GARROS – .Simona Halep did almost everything right in an attempt to make her Grand Slam final debut a successful one . . . except take the air out of the ball at times. By trying to out-hit Maria Sharapova in a baseline war at Roland Garros, Halep played a suicidal game that played into the hands of the now two-time French Open champion. By James Beck
Simona Halep did almost everything right in an attempt to make her Grand Slam final debut a successful one . . . except take the air out of the ball at times.
By trying to out-hit Maria Sharapova in a baseline war at Roland Garros, Halep played a suicidal game that played into the hands of the now two-time French Open champion.
Saturday’s women’s final was a brilliantly played match that showcased the extraordinary baseline games of the two competitors. Halep may even have been the better tennis player, but Sharapova was the better fighter.
Will To Win Was The Deciding Factor
Sharapova’s “will” probably was the deciding factor in her 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 win over the 22-year-old Romanian.
But make no mistake about it, Halep may be destined to become the face of women’s tennis in the next few years. She almost made the move on Saturday.
It took possibly the best match of the 27-year-old Sharapova’s career to subdue Halep, or at least since Sharapova’s amazing play in upsetting Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final.
Exceptional Baseline Rallies
The baseline rallies were exceptional as the lanky 6-2 Sharapova appeared to go for everything on every shot and serve. As expected, Sharapova committed some errors and doublefaulted almost too often, but there was no quit in her. One of tennis’ all-time best fighters fought all the way to her 20th straight three-set clay-court victory.
Amazingly, as court-smart as Halep appears to be, she appeared to be perfectly content with pounding away from the baseline against Sharapova. Maybe it was a thing of pride in that she wanted to show the world that she could hit with Sharapova.
Halep Matched Sharapova Stroke-For-Stroke
Halep did hit with Sharapova as she matched the Americanized Russian stroke-for-stroke. Halep’s rally from 5-3 down in the second-set tiebreaker was spectacular.
But only on a few occasions did Halep attempt to throw a wrench in Sharapova’s big game by going soft. Most of those attempts worked almost flawlessly for Halep as Sharapova netted balls instead of nailing them to the other baseline.
In being too proud of her own game to take the air out of the ball at times, Halep may have cost herself a chance to win a Grand Slam title in her first final.
It was almost like the change-of-pace balls were an accident by Halep, like she never really planned them as part of her strategy. That was a big mistake that Halep surely will learn to correct in future encounters with such heavy hitters as Sharapova.
Everything Sharapova Hit Found A Home
Sharapova was in a zone Saturday, even as she often awkwardly scrambled from side to side. Almost everything she hit found a home on the other side of the net.
Halep flashed far superior movement skills, but Sharapova’s determination and will to win separated the two players.
Against anyone else, Halep probably would have completed this French Open without dropping a set. She was consistently that good.
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James Beck is the long-time tennis columnist for the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier newspaper. He can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com
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