By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, August 12, 2018
In a rematch of the Roland Garros final, Simona Halep fought off Sloane Stephens, 7-6 (8), 3-6, 6-4, to claim her 18th career title in Montreal.
Photo credit: Patrice LaPointe/Tennis Canada Facebook
A rousing Roland Garros final rematch escalated into major Montreal thriller.
Sweat soaked Simona Halep's green top, blisters stung her left foot and pressure popped as a defiant Sloane Stephens staved off three championship points.
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Romanian fans stood on their feet chanting Halep's name.
The world No. 1 answered the call stinging an ace sealing an epic and electric Montreal final with a 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4, triumph to capture the Rogers Cup and her 18th career championship.
"I don't care about the pain, to win the tournament is just amazing," Halep told ESPN's Rennae Stubbs after prevailing in a ferocious two hour, 41-minute fight popping outrageous baseline exchanges.
A spirited Halep fought off the third-seeded American to raise the Rogers Cup for the second time in the last three years.
Mental strength and physical stamina helped Halep cross the finish line on her fourth championship point.
Halep collected her third title of 2018, raising her record to 42-7, including a 15-3 mark in three-setters.
A topsy-turvy thriller featured sudden momentum shifts, magical shotmaking and fierce competitive character from both Grand Slam champions who pushed each other all over the court in pulsating running rallies.
"I thought I played well," Stephens told the media in Montreal. "I thought she played well. Obviously in a final, you hope for matches like that, super competitive, high energy. I mean, there's nothing more than you could hope for in a final.
"Obviously upsetting that I didn't win. But I think I got better today. I got better than the last final we played. Yeah, it's disappointing, but I think this will help me moving forward, getting ready to go into Cincy and the US Open."
A gritty Halep denied four set points in the opening set, withstood a Stephens surge in second set, then stopped the US Open champion's late third-set rally with a bold exclamation point ace to end it.
"I really wanted it because I couldn't finish the games before," Halep said. "At 5-4, I said that I have to serve bigger. During the match, it was a little bit softer. I had a little bit of pain in my abs. It was tough to hit constant.
"In the last game I just wanted to hit it, so I was lucky to hit an ace at the match point."
Halep wasn't feeling her legs in the second set.
The reigning Roland Garros champion was all heart in the third set.
"To be honest in the second set I was maybe dead," Halep told ESPN's Rennae Stubbs afterward. "I couldn't have enough energy to fight. It wasn't because I didn't want to win it was because I couldn't move my legs that well. In the third set, I believed in myself. I was strong mentally."
It was Halep's sixth straight win over Stephens, including her French Open final fight-back from a set and 0-2 down to capture her first Grand Slam title with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, triumph.
A flying forehand crosscourt showed the Romanian's athleticism and hops and Halep hammered an ace down the middle holding for 3-1.
Straddling the baseline, Halep slid a forehand down the line to seal the break and her fourth straight game.
Trying to slow the onslaught and find solutions, Stephens called out coach Kamau Murray, who advised his charge to get more aggressive with her feet, add more shape to her shots and get out of Montreal in a reference to the Montreal sign branded several feet behind the baseline.
"You hit more balls into the net this set then you hit all tournament," Murray told Stephens. "Stay forward. Shape the ball and play a little slower, you're rushing. Ignore the grunt, watch the bounce of the ball...I don't want to see your feet in Montreal anymore."
Taking the ball at the peak of the bounce, Stephens punished a diagonal two-hander for a third break point then torched an inside-out forehand, halting her four-game free fall for 2-4.
Swinging with more vigor, Stephens splattered a forehand smack off the baseline then drew a pair of netted backhands breaking back with her fourth consecutive game to level, 4-all.
Moving up quickly to a net-cord shot that fell short, Halep fired a forehand into the corner breaking for 5-4.
Serving for the set, Halep tightened with errors and a double fault. Stephens exploited the miscues rapping a forehand down the line to level with the sixth service break of the set.
A defiant Halep saved two set points to force the tie break.
In the breaker, Stephens found another gear and a raging Halep slammed her Wilson racquet to the court after her error put the American up 3-0. Stephens stretched her lead to 5-1 on a Halep double fault.
A skittish Halep double faulted handing Stephens a third set point at 6-4.
A crackling rally ensued with Halep scraping the edge of the sideline with a forehand to save it.
On her fourth set point, Stephens skipped a forehand off the tape that ricocheted long. By then, both women had won exactly 50 points and both still had so much more to give.
A draining 20-shot rally ended with Halep pasting a backhand down the line for set point and when Stephens shanked a forehand return, Halep had stolen a punishing one-set lead after 71 minutes.
It was the first set Stephens surrendered in the tournament.
Set-point futility—and punishing physicall rallies in the heat—did not diminish Stephens' steam. Stephens smacked a backhand down the line breaking to open, igning a run of three breaks.
Stephens stamped two love holds in her next three service games holding for 5-3.
An aggressive Stephens earned three more set points in the ninth game only to see the Romanian repel each one. Keeping calm, Stephens slid a forehand down the line for her eighth set point of the day.
By then, Halep was leaning over between points staring at her feet gulping air. When Halep sailed a backhand wide, Stephens snatched the second set.
The world No. 1 took treatment for blisters on her left big toe before the decider and regrouped with resolve.
"I can say in the end of the set, I let down a little bit the match because I was so tired," Halep said. "I just wanted to save a little bit of energy for the third one.
"I knew that I'm going to lose it because Stephens was on the match and was dominating a little bit in the second set. Yeah, in the third set I just said that I still have some power in my body, I just have to stay calm and try to play smart."
Stepping it up, Halep broke to open the final set that popped with crackling rallies. A weary Halep sliced a forehand that kissed the top of the tape and crawled over, as the Romanian backed up the break and leaned over trying to catch her breath.
Stephens answered with a two-game run only to see Halep break back for 3-2. The world No. 1 whipped a diagonal forehand to back up the break.
Pacing slowly between points, Stephens netted a drive as Halep earned the double break for 5-2.
Stephens wasn't finished yet.
Grinding away, Halep hit a forehand down the line for championship point only to double fault it away.
A final of so many plot twists featured one more as Stephens successfully challenged a Halep drive called in. Hawk-Eye showed the ball landed long as Stephens broke for 3-5.
The French Open finalist saved another championship point with the slider serve then ended a 15-shot rally with a fine forehand volley erasing a third championship point prompting coach Murray leap from his seat and point to his heart in acknowledgement.
A heart-racing final escalated as Stephens held in the ninth game forcing Halep to serve for the title again.
On her fourth championship point, Halep drilled her fourth ace dropped to her knees and stared at the court absorbing a classic final.
The 25-year-old Stephens has only lost two finals in her career and both have come against Halep this season.
Given the quality of tennis these two champions delivered in this titanic final, hopefully they'll square off again at the US Open next month.
"This week, it's been an amazing effort," Halep said. "Also I was really tired. I feel like these tournaments, and this level, you have to have actually one day off between the matches. It's really tough. It's brutal, the effort for me. This week it was really tough."