SIMONA OUTLASTS SLOANE
Romanian downs US Open champ in repeat of French Open final
WORLD number one Simona Halep turned back American Sloane Stephens 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 6-4 to win the Rogers Cup women’s title in a rematch of their French Open finale in Montreal on Sunday.
Romanian Simona, who had beaten Sloane in Paris in June, claimed her second Montreal title in three years and third for the 2018 season.
She closed out the hard-fought match with her third ace of the day.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to talk again at this ceremony as a winner,” Simona said.
“I feel like I reached my best level of tennis, even if I had a long break before this tournament and I felt dead after the first day.”
Simona fended off four set points to claim a back-and-forth first set in a tiebreak after storming to a 4-1 lead before US Open champion Sloane fought back to level.
Simona broke the third-seeded Sloane with a crosscourt winner to take a 5-4 lead and serve for the set. But the American broke Simona with a forehand winner and held two set points on the Romanian’s serve at 6-5.
A crosscourt backhand saved one and Sloane netted a return on the second.
Numerous forehand errors by Simona gave Sloane a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak and the American went up 6-4 before Simona rallied, crushing a backhand down the line to earn her first set point, which she converted.
Sloane led throughout the second set, breaking Simona twice, but the Romanian took control of the third set, turning a break into a 5-2 advantage.
Sloane rallied to within 5-4 before Simona, on her fourth match point, slammed her third ace of the match and dropped to her knees in triumph.
“You make me play better and better every time we play,” Simona said of Sloane.
The American returned the compliment.
“Even though I lost today, I literally left everything on the court,” Sloane said. “Obviously I’m sad I lost, but losing to the number one player isn’t too bad.
“Every time I play her, she makes me a better player, she makes me raise my level.”