By Cheryl Jones
It was a sure thing that a woman who had never won a Grand Slam prior to today would win the title at Roland Garros. Simona Halep of Romania and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia managed to struggle through the masses – or at least 126 other women to reach the championship round that was scheduled for 3:00 in the afternoon on the final Saturday.
Ostapenko was ranked 47 before the match began, on Monday, she should move up to twelve. She had plowed successfully through her opponents and after defeating Timea Bacsinszky 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a semi-final match, she was propelled into the final that began precisely as scheduled in Court Philippe Chatrier. The stands were filled to capacity with excited fans hoping for a three setter to make that decision, merely because it would allow more tennis watching time.
Their wish came true. Halep took the first set and Ostapenko the second. When the matches at Roland Garros began two weeks ago, each of them had their eye on the same prize, along with the 126 other women, of course. Ostapenko has now made her mark on the terre battue, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Latvia will have a representative in the long list of countries that have garnered titles in Paris. (Latvia will join the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, China, Netherlands, and Hungary with one title apiece. Oddly enough, the United States is in the lead with 29. Germany is in a distant second with 10.)
The Suzanne Lenglen Cup has been the trophy awarded to the women’s winner in Paris since 1979. For the record, history buffs may remember that Suzanne Lenglen won the tournament in Paris six times. The first four wins were before the event opened its doors to competitors from outside France. (The year was 1925. Soon after that, Lenglen became ill and was diagnosed with leukemia. She lived just three more years and died of pernicious anemia on July 4th, 1928. But her legacy as one of the greatest female athletes of all time lives on, with a show court at Roland Garros that honors her.)
Halep was the Junior Girls’ Winner in Paris in 2008. She is one of the many young stars who have moved from the junior ranks to the rigors of the tour rather seamlessly. Ranked as World Number 4, before the Saturday match, she will be moving up the rankings to number two. (Had she won, she would have surpassed Angelique Kerber and become Number One.) She’s been ranked number two before, but at twenty-five, there will be more chances for her to shine on the courts. She made some impressive strides this time out. This was her second trip to the final here. In 2014, Maria Sharapova swooped in with a win in three sets, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 to take the cup away that time.
Ostapenko seemed as if she was in a daze after the one minute less than two-hour match had been completed and the prize was hers. This was the first tour level title for her and the last woman to win her debut tour-level title at a slam was American, Barbara Jordan at the 1979 Australian Open when she defeated another American, Sharon Walsh in a staccato 6-3, 6-3 match. There will be celebrating in Riga and all the other cities in Latvia this evening – at least in tennis circles. It should be a joyous party, even without the honored guest who will have to stick around until early next week for photos and other celebrations in Paris after the men’s winner is decided on Sunday.
Ostapenko is only the third player born in the 1990s to take home a Grand Slam title. The other two are Petra Kvitova in 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon and Garbiñe Muguruza at last year’s 2016 Roland Garros. Looking back, it would be logical to assume that there will be more and more young women (and men) to have become champions because anyone born in 1990 will be 27 years old when the chimes welcome in the new year of 2018.
Thirteen years ago, Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon on what was her seventh appearance in a Grand Slam main draw. She was 17. (For the record, American Pam Shriver made it to a final after only two appearances in a main draw. It was at the US Open in 1978, but she lost to fellow American Chris Evert 7-5, 6-4.)
The last player to win their debut title at Roland Garros was Brazilian, Gustavo Kuerten who just happened to take the title on June 8, 1997. It was the day Ostapenko was born. Serendipity or not, that coincidence could have been an omen hanging out in the recesses of the tunnels leading to the center of Court Philippe Chatrier.
It’s a sure thing that Ostapenko was waiting for the right moment to vault into the spotlight. With her winnings today, she nearly doubled her previous tour bounty. The grand prize for both women and men is $2,351,000.00 in US money.
Ostapenko’s future looks more than bright. She’s got a lot to live up to in the future, but something tells me that won’t be a problem for the fresh faced young woman from Latvia. Tonight though, she’s in Paris and she’ll be surrounded by a winner’s glow no matter how early the nearly full moon manages to slip below the horizon and disappear from view.
