Paris:
Simona Halep fought back from a set and a break down to finally claim her first Grand Slam title by beating Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a gruelling French Open final on Saturday.
The world number one had lost all three of her previous major finals, including two at Roland Garros, but staged a thrilling comeback to win after two hours and three minutes.
"In the last game I felt like I could not breathe anymore", said Halep.
It was the perfect way for the Romanian to banish the demons of her painful final defeat by Jelena Ostapenko 12 months ago when she blew a lead of a set and 3-0.
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US Open champion Stephens had looked set to lift a second Grand Slam trophy when leading 6-3, 2-0, but the American 10th seed wilted in hot conditions and Halep pounced.
The 26-year-old played a scintillating deciding set in which she made only five unforced errors, breaking her major duck in style.
Halep celebrated her victory in a way usually seen at Wimbledon, climbing into her box to greet friends and family.
