French Open: Halep eases past Stephens, wins first title

Top seed and Romanian tennis ace Simona Halep won her first ever grand slam title after surging past a fighting Sloane Stephens of the United States in the final of women's singles at the Roland Garros here on Saturday.

Halep, who had lost the last three major finals, won the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in just over two hours.

The Romanian was outclassed in the first set by Stephens, but recovered well to win the second set.

In the second set, when both players were going neck and neck and were tied at 4-4, Halep re-discovered her red-hot form to win the next games and force the match to go into the next set.

In the last set, Halep played a handful of excellent serves to leave Stephens in a spot of bother.

She then continued her dominance, coupled with aggression and excellent footwork as she smashed her way to her first win of a major tournament.

After winning her first grand slam title, Halep broke down and was later comforted by her coach Darren Cahill.

On the other hand, top-ranked Spaniard Rafael Nadal will stake a claim for his record 11th French Open title, when he will lock horns with seventh seed Dominic Thiem of Croatia on Sunday.