SPORT Sunday 10 June 2018 PAGE | 21 PAGE | 22 Ambitious Samba Al Tamimi to lead eyes new record in Qatar’s challenge Stockholm at Asian Games Halep wins maiden Grand Slam AFP FRENCH OPEN CHAMPION World number one dumpeddumped consecutive forehands into the net. Stephens brieflybriefly looked out SIMONA HALEP PARIS: Simona Halep fought back Simona Halep fights on her feet, but raised her gamegame byby from a set and a break down to back from a set and a shorteningshortening thethe pointspoints to breakbreak finally claim her first Grand Slam straightstraight backback beforebefore levellinglevelling thethe Age: 26 title by beating Sloane Stephens 3-6, break down to claim set at 4-4, helpedhelped byby thethe firstfirst Grand Slam titles (1): French 6-4, 6-1 in a gruelling French Open French Open title aceace of the match. Open 2018 final yesterday. by beating Sloane But HalepHalep The world number one had lost dug deep,deep, Won her first Grand Slam all three of her previous major Stephens 3-6, 6-4, squaringsquaring the title after falling at the final finals, including two at Roland 6-1. ffinalinal by Garros, but staged a thrilling winningwinning the hurdle three times comeback to win after two hours nextnext twotwo and three minutes. the world number one who foundund games,games, as Roland Garros (2014, 2017) “In the last game I felt like I herself being forced onto the StephensStephens fired and the Australian Open could not breathe anymore”, said defensive as Stephens moved 4-1 a backhandbackhand widewide (2018). Halep. ahead. on thethe firstfirst set point.point. It was the perfect way for the The 25-year-old, who waswas The AmericanAmerican had Romanian to banish the demons of ranked 957 in the world less thanan a fatiguedfatigued irreparably,irreparably, andand Became the first Romanian her painful final defeat by Jelena year ago after her injury woes, waswas it wwasas hherer tuturnrn to fallfall 2-2-00 to win a Grand Slam crown Ostapenko 12 months ago, when she using her bigger forehand to goodood downdown at thethe start ooff the since her manager Virginia blew a lead of a set and 3-0. effect as Halep struggled to makeake decidingdeciding set. Ruzici in Paris in 1978. US Open champion Stephens any inroads into her opponent’snt’s TheThe matchmatch was all butbut had looked set to lift a second Grand serve. endedended as HalepHalep clinchedclinched thethe Slam trophy when leading 6-3, 2-0, She did manage to makeake doubledouble break in ggameame four after but the American 10th seed wilted Stephens serve for the set, though,ugh, somesome magnificentmagnificent defendingdefending in one in hot conditions and Halep and was stepping into the court withwith of thethe pointspoints of the match.match. pounced. more authority, bringing up her firstfirst Stephens managedmanaged to land The 26-year-old played a scin- break point. a couple of late blows, but Halep tillating deciding set in which she But Halep wasted the chancence confidentlyconfidently servedserved it out, sealingsealing made only five unforced errors, with her 10th unforced error andand victory on herher firstfirst matchmatch pointpoint breaking her major duck in style. Stephens made her pay, drillingg an whenwhen herher opponent Halep celebrated her victory in unreturnable backhand into thethe nettednetted a a way usually seen at Wimbledon, corner to wrap up the set after justjust return.return. climbing into her box to greet 41 minutes. friends and family. A first-ever Grand Slam finalinal The fans at Roland Garros pre- defeat in straight sets for Halepalep ceded the match with a standing looked likely as soon as Stephenshens ovation for seven-time Grand Slam claimed the first game of the secondond champion Maria Bueno after the set on her fourth break point. Brazilian’s death on Friday aged 78. The Romanian knows bettertter Halep had vocal support from than anyone how Grand Slam finalsnals the start on Court Philippe Chatrier, can turn though after her 2017017 but Stephens was the better player heartbreak against Ostapenko, andand in the baseline rallies and made an she broke back to love to the delightight early breakthrough as two big fore- of the crowd. hands left the top seed Suddenly Halep had won 122 ofof scrambling. 13 points and snatched thethe The early exchanges were momentum, and she made it fourfour Romania’s Simona Halep holds the trophy as she celebrates after defeating USA’s Sloane brutal in the Paris heat, but it was games on the spin as Stephensens Stephens in the women’s singles final match of the 2018 French Open in Paris, yesterday. Nadal takes on Thiem with eye on 11th French crown REUTERS many match wins on the red dirt. the quarter-finals when he snapped forehand bombardment begins, the LEAGUE OF 11-TIME CHAMPIONS True, he was obliterated by the left-hander’s run of 37 consec- best-laid plans usually fall apart as PARIS: Austrian Dominic Thiem Nadal in the semi-final 12 months utive completed sets won at the was the case in Friday’s semi-final BILL RUSSELL: The legendary Boston Celtics centre won a record 11 faces arguably the biggest challenge ago but Thiem has added more French Open by snatching the when Nadal thrashed Juan Martin NBA championships as the franchise dominated the league in the late in sport, overcoming Rafael Nadal aggression to his natural claycourt opener. del Potro who many thought posed 1950s and throughout the 1960s. Russell notably operated as player- on the Court Philippe Chatrier clay, weapons, specifically the forehand, If not, it will be Goodnight a credible threat. coach during his final two title-winning seasons in 1968 and 1969. He if he is to join the Grand Slam as he displayed when stunning Vienna for the man with one of the Thiem is looking to become only was voted the NBA’s Most Valuable Player five times and later inducted winners’ club today. Nadal in the Madrid quarter-final. best single-handed backhands in the second Austrian player -- man into the Hall of Fame. Team-mate Sam Jones, drafted after Boston’s 1957 Only two players have managed That win, according to three- tennis. or woman -- to win a Grand Slam triumph, teamed up with Russell to win 10 of those 11 titles. to beat Nadal at the French Open times former champion Mats “The only way to beat Rafa on title after Thomas Muster’s French since he first bounded into Roland Wilander, should be all Thiem is clay is to take risks... to over-achieve Open victory in 1995. PHIL TAYLOR: Phil “The Power” Taylor is the undisputed greatest Garros in 2005 armed with a bulging thinking about when he prepares you have to over-playover play and risk moremore Nadal will retain the world darts player in history with a record 16 world titles. He won the first of left bicep, pirate pants and a pulver- for Sunday’s clash. than you feelel comfortable doing,”doing,” numbernumber one rankingranking those in 1990 before sweeping to eight in a row between 1995 and 2002. ising brand of claycourt tennis the “Forgetet the 10 (French Wilander said.said. ifif hehe wins - butbut thatthat Taylor has been instrumental in transforming darts into the force it is like of which had not been seen Open titles)tles) and PlentyPlenty havehave gone in withwith will be the last today. The Englishman retired from the sport after losing the 2018 final before. forget whathat haphap-- soundsound tactical plansplans thingthing on his to Rob Cross. Thirteen years on and his record pened lastst year, againstagainst thethe 16-times mind.mind. next to the Bois de Boulogne stands Thiem hahass to GrandGraand SlamSlam RYAN GIGGS: The Manchester United great’s career coincided with at an incredible 85 wins and two rememberr whatwhat cchampionhaampion in the club’s most successful period in its history as the Welshman won a losses. happenedd in PaParisris bubutt remarkable 13 Premier League titles. Giggs broke through as a teenager An 86th win today will give the Madrid whichhich isis wwhen the at Old Trafford, helping United end a 26-year wait as they claimed the 32-year-old Spaniard an 11th French a title NadalNadal 1992-93 league crown. He eventually retired in 2014, a year after United Open title -- a joint record for tri- wants too win lifted the league trophy once more. umphs at a single Grand Slam along almost ass muchmuch with Margaret Court who won 11 as the FFrench,”rench,” MARGARET COURT: Court’s legacy as the most successful player in Australian Open trophies, albeit not Wilander,nder, Grand Slam history has been overshadowed by her controversial and sus- all in the professional era. Eurosport’srt’s cchiefhief tained outbursts. But she remains the only player in history to win 10 or It looks a daunting mission for analyst,, totoldl d more titles at a single Slam - lifting the Australian Open a staggering 11 the 24-year-old Thiem but not nec- Reuters. times between 1960 and 1973. essarily an impossible one. Wilandernder He is the only player to beat believes ThiemThiem REANNE EVANS: Evans won 11 women’s world snooker titles in her Nadal on clay in the past two years can worryworry career including 10 in a row from 2005 to 2014. She also recorded another -- in Rome last year and in Madrid Nadal if hhee iiss landmark in 2017 when she defeated Finland’s Robin Hull in the first round last month -- and this season no prepared to “take“take of qualifyng for the men’s World Championship.