Romanian tennis star Simona Halep, the current number one in the WTA ranking of the best women’s tennis players in the world, reached the final of the French Open at Roland Garros for the third time in her career after a two-set victory over Spain’s Garbine Muguruza on Thursday afternoon. Halep won the match 6-1, 6-4 and managed to keep the number one spot in the WTA ranking.

She will play the Roland Garros final on Saturday against the winner of the match between Americans Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens.

Halep played her first Roland Garros final in 2014 when she lost to Russian Maria Sharapova. She had her second shot at the title in 2017 but lost again to the Latvian revelation Jelena Ostapenko.

Halep’s third final at Roland Garros comes 40 years after the first and only Romanian triumph in a women’s final at the French Open. Virginia Ruzici won that title in 1978. Ruzici is now Simona Halep’s manager.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Roland-Garros Facebook page)