Romania’s tennis ace Simona Halep loses at Roland Garros after intense final against Russian Sharapova

Romania’s tennis player Simona Halep has lost the Roland Garros title, after a spectacular final against Russia’s Maria Sharapova on Saturday, June 7. "It was the toughest Grand Slam final I have ever played. All respect for Simona, she played very well," said Sharapova, now a two-time winner at Roland Garros. In a three-set match that lasted a little over three hours, Halep lost to Sharapova, 4-6, 7-6, 4-6. Sharapova, 27, number 7 WTA, won the first set after about one hour, but Halep, 22, managed to take back control of the game and win after tiebreak in the second set, which lasted for 72 minutes. It was a balanced and intense match, with the first decisive third set played at Roland Garros in the last 13 years.The decisive third set between the Russian and the Romanian lasted for about an hour, with Sharapova and Halep managing to control the game quite evenly. However, Sharapova emerged winner. 1978 French Open champion Virginia Ruzici, who is also Simona Halep’s manager, was not surprised by her compatriot’s breakthrough to the final, which won her the position 3 WTA. “In 2013, she won six titles which was amazing! What she is doing this year is even more impressive. Towards the end of last year, I began to believe that she could win the French Open one day. Whether or not she wins it this year, next year or later on, only time will tell!” said Ruzici before the final. Ruzici herself is the last Romanian woman to have played in the Roland Garros final, back in 1980, after winning the title two years prior. This makes Halep the first Romanian woman who reached the Roland Garros final in the last 34 years. Chris Evert, the American tennis player who beat Romania's Virginia Ruzici in the same final in 1980, handed over the awards to the finalists this year. editor@romania-insider.com