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A missed opportunity, deep disappointment for Simona Halep in French Open final

Simona Halep's loss at the French Open marks a missed opportunity and deep disappointment. 

Jon Wertheim

A missed opportunity, deep disappointment for Simona Halep in French Open final
A missed opportunity, deep disappointment for Simona Halep in French Open final /

Simona Halep entered this event as the top contender, the best pre-tournament pick, per the odds-makers. And she did nothing to disabuse anyone of that designation before Saturday.

Jelena Ostapenko beats Simona Halep to win 2017 French Open title

For four rounds, the 25-year-old Romanian played slick clay-court tennis, blending defense with offense and cruising. For the latter three matches, she showed fight and a sense of conviction, something not always in evidence in her game. In the quarters and semis, she relished the battle and won in three sets.

But in Saturday's women’s final against Jelena Ostapenko, she let opportunity slip. With the far superior resume and with far superior experience, she tightened, quickened her pace, blew her 6-4, 3-0 lead and offered little to resist Ostapenko’s onslaught. Halep lost the title and lost a chance at the top ranking. This was supposed to be a coronation. Instead, it will mark a deep disappointment that, somehow, she must overcome soon.

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Jon Wertheim
JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.

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