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Pliskova beat France's Caroline Garcia in straight sets
CNN
—
In tennis, the feeling is that players who win a grand slam title usually have to get through at least one difficult match during the fortnight.
If Simona Halep does go on to win the French Open crown Saturday, it is likely that Wednesday’s quarterfinal victory over Elina Svitolina will prove to be the turning point.
How could it not be?
Halep – the pre-tournament favorite based on her clay-court performances this year – looked down and out when she trailed by a set and 5-1 to Svitolina. Having rallied to force a tiebreak in the second set, the third-seed then had to fend off a match point in that tiebreak.
But she got through it – aided by a net-cord winner on her first set point in the tiebreak – and cruised in the third for a 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-0 win against the Ukrainian who handed Halep her lone defeat in the month of May in the Italian Open final.
Like her fellow semifinalists Karolina Pliskova, Timea Bacsinszky and Jelena Ostapenko, the 2014 finalist is two victories away from opening her grand slam account.
Feeling more relaxed
“I started to feel more relaxed maybe because I thought it’s finished, and I changed the rhythm,” Halep told reporters. “I put some high balls. I just tried to make her move more, to open the court, and it came.”
Halep spoke Monday about how she improved her attitude on court after a tough loss to Johanna Konta in the Miami Open quarterfinals.
Disappointed with her demeanor between the second and third sets, her coach Darren Cahill – who used to work with former No. 1s Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt – decided not to travel with Halep for several weeks.
That move prompted Halep to “change pretty fast.”
With Cahill – who returned in May – watching from the stands on Suzanne Lenglen court, Halep indeed maintained her focus to avoid elimination.
“I showed that I’m stronger mentally,” said Halep. “I stayed there until the end, even if I was a little bit upset during the match. But it was all positive.”
Truth to be told however, any player holding a set and 5-1 lead would expect to close out the encounter. Svitolina admitted that “nerves” were a factor.
“I started maybe going for too much sometimes and then she was back into the game,” said Svitolina. “A little bit of nerves, of course, played the trick. But, yeah … such a big event. It can happen.
“It’s tennis and everything can turn around in just couple of points.”
After blowing the 5-1 advantage in the second, the momentum seemed to temporarily revert to Svitolina when she saved four set points while serving at 5-6 in the second.
Close tiebreak
She led the tiebreak 4-2, only to deliver two return misses to trail 5-4.
Reversing the score to earn a match point at 6-5, Halep saved it with audacious hitting from the back of the court, especially on a backhand down the line.
Halep suggested in her post-match press conference she didn’t know that was when she was match point down.
A lot has changed since a 19-year-old Rafael Nadal became only the second man in history to win Roland Garros at the first attempt. The bulging biceps, long hair and headband remain, but the Spaniard's sense of style has certainly changed.
CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
2005 —
Nadal went into his first French Open as an inexperienced 18-year-old and emerged a grand slam champion -- beating Roger Federer in the semifinals on his 19th birthday. The 2005 season was the birth of what would go on to be Nadal's classic look: sleeveless top and three-quarter length shorts.
Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2006 —
By the following year, Nadal had cemented his place among tennis' elite and was developing a fearsome reputation on clay. This time wearing a slightly less garish light blue, Nadal picked up his second consecutive French Open title by becoming the first man to beat Roger Federer in a grand slam final.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2007 —
In 2007, the then 20-year-old Nadal's status as the 'King of Clay' was sealed. Defeat to Federer at the Masters Series in Hamburg ended an 81-match unbeaten streak on clay, which remains a men's Open Era record today. At that year's French Open, Nadal opted for the reverse of 2006's top-bandana combo -- this time with matching trainers to boot.
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2008 —
A year later, Nadal opted for a variation on his debut French Option look, this time sporting an all-green combo. Nadal reached world No. 1 for the first time in his career in 2008, helped by his fourth consecutive Roland Garros title -- matching Bjorn Borg's record of consecutive trophies, while also becoming only the seventh man to win a grand slam without dropping a set.
Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2009 —
Nadal's first dramatic transformation came in 2009. Gone were the sleeveless shirts and three-quarter lengths, in came the sleeves and fluorescent, clashing colors. Perhaps it was the sleeves restricting the powerful arms (or maybe a knee injury), but Nadal suffered the first of only two French Open defeats. Despite a shock fourth-round loss to Robin Soderling, Nadal set a record of 31 consecutive wins at Roland Garros.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2010 —
In 2010, Nadal bounced back from the 2009 disappointment with a daring multicolored number. He went on to exact revenge on Soderling, beating him in the final after the Swede had upset Federer in the quarterfinals. Federer's failure to reach the semis meant Nadal regained the world No. 1 spot, while it was also the second time he won the French Open without dropping a set.
Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2011 —
The following year, Nadal dialed down the brightness, instead choosing to return to one of his earliest Roland Garros styles. And it worked -- he maintained his No. 1 ranking throughout the clay court season and beat perennial rival Federer in the final.
THOMAS COEX/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
2012 —
Perhaps in an attempt to gain the upper hand on opponents by blending into the clay, Nadal opted for an orange-ish-red look for the first time at the French Open. It appeared to work, as Nadal dropped just 30 games in the first five rounds, before beating Djokovic in four sets in the final to claim his seventh Roland Garros title and surpass Borg as the tournament's most successful player.
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2013 —
The 2013 French Open was the debut of Nadal's latest wardrobe change: the short shorts. In an all-Spanish final, Nadal defeated David Ferrer in straight sets -- although bizarrely dropped from fourth in the world to fifth after his victory.
Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2014 —
Perhaps a sign of entering into his late 20s, Nadal's colors switched from fluorescent to more mellow tones. Despite being hampered by injuries and suffering surprise defeats early in the clay court season, Nadal grinded out arguably his most impressive Roland Garros victory. Another victory in the final against Djokovic took him to 14 grand slams (level with Pete Sampras) and it was his fifth straight French Open triumph.
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2015 —
Nadal's struggle to find form continued into 2015's clay court season, dropping outside of the world's top five for the first time since 2005. Looking like an athletic version of the Cookie Monster, Nadal crashed out of the French Open in the quarterfinals to Djokovic. It ended his 39-match unbeaten run and marked just his second defeat on the Parisian clay.
Dan Istitene/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2016 —
The following year, the shorts got even shorter and the two-tone top returned as Nadal exited the French Open in the third round -- although this time it was a wrist injury that defeated him. Despite the disappointment, there was another milestone for Nadal as he became only the eighth man to reach 200 grand slam wins.
Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
2017 —
Nadal debuted his strong blue look against Benoit Paire in the first round and the King of Clay went on to complete "'La Decima" of 10 Roland Garros titles.
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
French Open: Rafael Nadal's Roland Garros evolution
She clinched the set when her forehand rattled the top of the tape and dropped over.
An out of sorts Svitolina lost the decider in 23 minutes and Halep set up a clash with second-seed Karolina Pliskova, a 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 winner over France’s Caroline Garcia.
If Pliskova defeats Halep, she will replace the slumping Angelique Kerber as the world No. 1. Halep will become No. 1 if she wins the title.
“Coming into this tournament, there were a few people who told me, ‘You have to be in the final to be No. 1,’ said Pliskova.
“I was, like, there is no chance I make final here.
“And now it’s close, but it’s close and it’s far, as well, because I’m playing against somebody who I would say is one of the best on clay. It’s not like you’re going to get it for free. She’s playing also for being world No. 1. It’s going to be a huge match.”
Pliskova has never been shy to admit that clay isn’t her favorite surface and she also trails Halep 4-2 in their head-to-head contests.
Thursday’s other women’s semifinal sees 2015 French Open semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky play Wimbledon junior winner Jelena Ostapenko. Both will be celebrating birthdays.
