Add Category
Posted
Bacsinszsky, Svitolina, Pliskova, Ostapenko, Mladenovic.
These names don't roll off the tongue and I've had some double-faults in the voice booth in the past fortnight putting together French Open stories for ABC TV News.
Yet it's been refreshing to see opportunities for different players in the absence of regular contenders Serena Williams (pregnant), Maria Sharapova (no wildcard granted from the French tennis federation after serving a doping ban), Victoria Azarenka (became a mother in December) and Angelique Kerber (beaten in the first round).
With court movement helped by years of ballroom dancing, Jelena Ostapenko has waltzed into the final on the back of 245 winners, more than double the number of fellow finalist, third seed Simona Halep.
Ostapenko is the first player from the north European country of Latvia to reach a grand slam final and achieved that feat on her 20th birthday. She's also the first unseeded player to make the decider at Roland Garros since Slovenia's Mimi Jausovec lost to Chris Evert in 1983.
Both Ostapenko and Romania's Halep will be striving for a maiden major title. Halep is coached by Australia's Darren Cahill, who has previously guided Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi to grand slam glory.
In March, Cahill took a break from coaching the 25 year-old. He was disappointed with her attitude during a loss at a tournament in Miami. The footage showed Cahill sitting beside Halep at the end of the second set, trying to change her negative attitude.
"I'm not fighting you on this, you have a little conversation with that person on your shoulder, cause I'm not the one that can answer these questions," Cahill told Halep.
Halep won Cahill back by working on her mental strength. The newfound determination was on display when she fought back from a set and 1-5 down to beat the Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals this week.
"I think I was strong mentally and I didn't give up until the end and that's why maybe I won this match", Halep said in her on-court interview.
If the freewheeling Ostapenko hits 50 winners (as she did in her semi-final), Halep may need all of her fighting qualities, and a nod of encouragement from Cahill in the stands, to win her first major.
Whoever triumphs, a new name will be added to the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen trophy, capping off an invigorating French fortnight that's demonstrated the depth in women's tennis.