#RG17 day 12 wrap: Halep sets up Ostapenko final

Simona Halep will take on Jelena Ostapenko in the final of Roland Garros 2017. The pair came through tough three-set encounters to book their place in Saturday’s final, with Ostapenko the first unseeded woman to take part in the French Open title match since 1983.

Halep on course for No.1

There was more than just silverware at stake for Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova in Friday’s semifinal, with both players in with a shot at claiming the world No.1 spot after Roland Garros. It took exactly two hours for Halep to secure the hard fought 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Pliskova, the Romanian securing a berth in her second Grand Slam final.

Pliskova played relatively loose tennis in the opening set, with Halep able to take advantage of her 24 unforced errors to secure an early advantage. The Czech settled in the second set, her heavy groundstrokes soon overwhelming the third seed and swinging set two in her favour.

RELATED: A new Grand Slam semifinalist, again

However, just as it seemed that the momentum had swung in Pliskova’s favour, Halep started to soak up the Czech’s groundstrokes. With Pliskova increasingly frustrated, Halep seized the advantage and served out the match – and her place in the final.

“Today was a great battle, big battle,” Halep said post-match. “Every point was very important. I felt that I have to run for every ball. I have to be focused for every ball.

“So good that I could do that in the third set for every, every single ball. So I’m happy with my performance.”

Ostapenko wins birthday battle

It was a battle of the birthday girls in the day’s first semifinal, with Jelena Ostapenko continuing her remarkable run at Roland Garros and securing her maiden Grand Slam final berth. The Latvian, who turned 20 yesterday, became the first unseeded woman to take part in the final since Mima Jausovec in 1983 with a 7-6(4) 3-6 6-3 win over Bacsinszky.

Ostapenko came out swinging, notching up forehand speeds that exceed anything Andy Murray has mustered thus far at the French Open. However, with the winners came unforced errors – 45 in total for the match.

RELATED: Bacsinszky – the power of resilience

Though she edged the opening set in the breaker, a frustrated Ostapenko surrendered the second with a run of four straight games going against her. Despite Bacsinszky being the more experienced competitor, Ostapenko swung freely in the third and seized advantage with the set poised at 3-3. Once ahead, the Latvian didn’t look back until crossing the finishing line with another trademark forehand winner.

“I’m really happy, I love to be here,” Ostapenko said as the crowd sang her Happy Birthday. “It’s a great way to celebrate my birthday.

“I was always playing aggressive and trying to hit the ball when I have the chance.”