Jelena Ostapenko stuns Simona Halep to win the French Open

4:36PM

Ostapenko speaks again 

4:34PM

Dignified Halep

You have to feel for Halep, who led by a set and had breaks in the second and third but ultimately could not close it out. She remains without a slam, but insists the tournament was "a great experience" and thanks the crowd for turning up. She remains very calm and pays tribute to her opponent, who she says fondly is "like a kid". 

"It was a tough day because we couldn't win, but let's keep working and believe," she adds.  

4:25PM

I think Ostapenko is quite pleased with that

After the match, a charmingly giggly Ostapenko speaks on court. She can barely stop grinning. 

4:14PM

Game, set and match! Ostapenko defeats Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

After the players exchange the first two points, Ostapenko moves to 15-30 with a sensational backhand return. And moments later it's 30-40 and match point as the Latvian flicks away a backhand winner! And then would you believe it? Ostapenko smashes away a backhand return winner and she has done it! 

Ostapenko is the French Open champion!

4:11PM

Halep* 6-4, 4-6, 3-5 Ostapenko (*next server)

Ostapenko brings up 40-15 when Halep sends a forehand long, and she wraps up her fourth game in a row with a brilliant backhand winner. That's her 51st winner of the match!

Halep will now serve to keep this final alive. 

4:08PM

Halep 6-4, 4-6, 3-4 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Ostapenko breaks

Oh my, how cruel is that? Ostapenko forces two more break points at 15-40, and after Halep saves the first with a jamming serve she is powerless on the second as an Ostapenko backhand that is flying wide clips the tape and somehow, hugely fortuitously lands in. 

Ostapenko is two service holds away from winning the French Open. 

4:04PM

Halep* 6-4, 4-6, 3-3 Ostapenko (*next server)

Chris Bradnam in commentary says "Ostapenko loves Agatha Christie novels, and she's writing one here". Hmm, is this a murder mystery?? I do love Chris though - he actually used to coach me back in the day. True story, but I'll save it for another day.

Anyway, back to the here and now. The players exchange the first two points of the game before Ostapenko sends a backhand wide for 15-30. But a pair of quite brilliant backhand crosscourt winners then takes the Latvian to 40-30. Halep saves the game point, before Ostapenko eventually holds with another backhand winner. 

3:58PM

Halep 6-4, 4-6, 3-2 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Ostapenko breaks back

The problem Halep has is that when Ostapenko turns it on, there's not a lot she can really do about it. It's a bit like Murray against Wawrinka yesterday. The Latvian rediscovers her touch this game, and battles to a break point at 30-40 with a backhand winner and then one off the forehand. And although Halep saves it, Ostapenko earns another one and takes it with an inside-in forehand winner return. We're back on serve as this match takes yet another twist. 

3:54PM

Halep* 6-4, 4-6, 3-1 Ostapenko (*next server) - Halep breaks

More mistakes from Ostapenko give Halep a 0-30 head-start, and a sprayed backhand hands the Romanian three break points at 0-40. Ostapenko saves the first, but a loopy moonball from Halep draws another mistake, and she has the break!

Halep is once again three games from the French Open title. Can she get over the line this time?

3:50PM

Halep 6-4, 4-6, 2-1 Ostapenko* (*next server) 

Halep is keeping her cool for the moment, and patiently draws a couple of mistakes from Ostapenko to hold to 15. 

3:48PM

Halep* 6-4, 4-6, 1-1 Ostapenko (*next server)

Simple hold to 15 for Ostapenko, who impressively shrugs off the disappointment of not breaking in the previous game. 

3:47PM

Halep 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Halep saves two break points and holds

This is absolutely extraordinary. Ostapenko bludgeons away a forehand winner down the line and then a backhand return winner up the other line to go up 15-40 and two break points. But she agonisingly can't take either! The first is an Ostapenko  backhand that hits the very top of the net, and the second is a Halep forehand that looks like going long but just drops in at the last moment. Halep then completes the hold, and how crucial could that game end up being?

As with the first set, the contrast between the winners and unforced errors in the second set was ridiculous. The other stats that jump out are the second serve points won percentage, which were terrible for both players. 

3:39PM

Halep* 6-4, 4-6 Ostapenko (*next server)

We're going the distance! Ostapenko holds to 15 with a stupendous forehand winner, and the crowd are on their feet. What a comeback in the second set from the Latvian. 

Halep had points for the double break in this set, but Ostapenko takes it, and we're into a decider. 

3:35PM

Halep 6-4, 4-5 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Ostapenko breaks

Ostapenko's ability to bounce back from disappointment is quite something. After dropping her serve to love, she bounces back with a break to love of her own. Halep is forced into three errors by the Latvian's unrelenting agression, and Ostapenko will now serve for the second set. 

3:33PM

Halep* 6-4, 4-4 Ostapenko (*next server) - Halep breaks back

Whenever Ostapenko has had a lead this match, she's chucked in a loose game. And the pattern repeats itself once again here and she chucks over a break to 15 with four unforced errors. Such a sloppy game - Halep barely had to do anything to win it. We're back on serve 

3:29PM

Halep 6-4, 3-4 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Ostapenko breaks

This just gets better for Ostapenko! It's four games in a row for the Latvian, sealed with a quite brilliant drive volley! Halep had fought back from 15-40 to deuce, but Ostapenko ain't going anywhere and she forces a third break point, which she takes with more fearless attacking play. 

Halep had three points point for 4-0, but now she finds herself down 3-4. This is wonderful drama. 

3:25PM

Halep* 6-4, 3-3 Ostapenko (*next server) 

Ostapenko is so close to being the complete package, but her serve is a glaring weakness. Halep is all over it again this game, and she forces two more break points at 15-40 when the Latvian sends a backhand wide. But Ostapenko saves them both again - the first with a screaming backhand winner down the line and the second when Halep sends a forehand return long. And moments later the 20-year-old completes the hold with two much better first serves. Blimey, three games in a row for Ostapenko and we're back on serve. 

3:18PM

Halep 6-4, 3-2 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Ostapenko breaks back

Wow, she saved three break points in the last game and now Ostapenko has broken back! A glorious forehand volley winner and backhand winner help the Latvian to 15-40, and although Halep saves the first break point, she sends a forehand wide on the second and we're back on serve. 

Huge test of Halep's temperament coming up. 

3:16PM

Halep* 6-4, 3-1 Ostapenko (*next server) - Ostapenko saves three break points and holds

You really hope that Ostapenko doesn't fall away here, but a double fault leaves her down 15-30 and in danger of falling down a double break. Two solid points though take her to 40-30, and Halep slams her racket in frustration after missing a forehand. Moments later though it's Ostapenko who is raging as she falls down break point with a netted backhand. But Halep can't take it as Ostapenko draws a missed forehand, and the Romanian misses two more break points thanks to an Ostapenko winner and then a poor backhand error. Ostapenko eventually completes a massive hold after a quite brilliant angled forehand that somehow doesn't go for a winner but it sets up an easy smash. 

Halep's level just dropped on those break points, and she could rue not taking them. 

3:06PM

Halep 6-4, 3-0 Ostapenko* (*next server) 

Halep has made just three errors all match in what has been a performance so obdurate that Novak Djokovic at his peak would have been proud of it. The Romanian gratefully receives a few more errors to move up 40-0, but Ostapenko comes roaring back at her to level at deuce. Halep though grist her teeth and ekes out the hold with a forehand winner and an Ostapenko backhand into the net. 

3:03PM

Halep* 6-4, 2-0 Ostapenko (*next server) - Halep breaks

Ostapenko is really struggling with her second serve, and Halep rips away a service return winner for a break point at 30-40. The Latvian saves it though with a forehand winner up the line, and then saves another moments later with a nerveless smash after more resolute Halep defence. But it proves in vain as an Ostapenko forehand error gives Halep a third break point, and this time she takes it as Ostapenko sends a forehand long. 

Halep a set and a break to the good. 

2:57PM

Halep 6-4, 1-0 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Halep saves three break points and holds

The question now is whether Ostapenko will play slightly higher percentage tennis after making 23 errors in that set. But realistically there's just no chance of that happening. This is how the Latvian plays, and it's thrilling to watch. 

She comes out this game and plays more aggressively than ever, ripping away a backhand winner down the line for 0-40 and three break points. Halep though saves all three - the first with a backhand winner down the line of her own and the second thanks to two Ostapenko unforced errors. The Romanian then produces a couple of clutch serves, and she completes a very important hold. 

Look at the winners and unforced error stats from the first set! Ridiculous contrast between the two players. 

2:50PM

Halep* 6-4 Ostapenko (*next server) - Game and first set Halep!

Halep's speed is quite something, and she hares after a drop shot to flick away a forehand for 15-30. The Romanian then has set point at 30-40 after Ostapenko nets a forehand after failing to move her feet. And Halep takes it when Ostapenko sends a forehand long! 

Halep a set away from her first grand slam after 36 minutes of utterly enthralling tennis. 

2:45PM

Halep 5-4 Ostapenko* (*next server)

Two more forehand winners take Ostapenko to 0-30, but three errors have her down 40-30. Halep is then bullied into a backhand error, and we're at deuce. But phenomenal hitting from the Romanian in a bruising forehand to forehand exchange sees her eke out the hold. 

Ostapenko will now serve to stay in a quite wonderful first set. 

2:41PM

Halep* 4-4 Ostapenko (*next server) 

After another angled forehand winner, Chrs Evert says in commentary that "Ostapenko is giving us a geometry lesson out there".  The Latvian storms to a 40-15 lead but superb defence from Halep draws a couple of errors and we're back at deuce. But oh my, Ostapenko shrugs that off and crunches down a forehand winner and then the biggest backhand of the match - an absolute thunderbolt down the line - to complete the hold. 

To give you an indication of how much Ostapenko has been the aggressor so far, these are the winner and unforced error stats for the two players:

Ostapenko: 11 winners, 17 unforced errors

Halep: 1 winner, 1 unforced error

2:36PM

Halep 4-3 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Halep saves a break point and holds

A few sprayed errors from Ostapenko leave Halep in charge at 40-15, but a ripped backhand winner helps the Latvian back to deuce. Another backhand winner down the line takes Ostapenko to break point, but she sends a screaming backhand just wide and we're at deuce once more. A well angled serve out wide eventually seals the hold for Halep, who has a mighty job on her hands subduing her opponent's ferocious power. 

You do feel that if Ostapenko maintains this aggression then the result will be out of Halep's hands, and will come down to how many winners compared to unforced errors the Latvian hits. 

2:30PM

Halep* 3-3 Ostapenko (*next server) - Halep breaks back

I said at the beginning of the match that we could be in for quite a few service breaks, and that looks like it'll be the case. Ostapenko is ripping the covers off the ball when engaged in baseline exchanges, but her serve is very attackable and a double fault sees her fall down 0-40 and three break points. Halep only needs one, as Ostapenko nets a forehand. 

We're back on serve in the first set after four breaks in six games. 

2:27PM

Halep 2-3 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Ostapenko breaks

Ostapenko's relentless pace is proving too much even for the great retriever Halep at the moment, and a scorching inside-in forehand winner takes the Latvian to two more break points at 15-40. Halep then sends a backhand long, and Ostapenko completes the break. 

Ferocious, fearless hitting from the fresh-faced assassin Ostapenko. 

2:25PM

Halep* 2-2 Ostapenko (*next server)

Very few nerves on show from Ostapenko, who unleashes on a couple more howitzer forehands. One in particular draws gasps from the Roland Garros crowd as it flies over the high part of the net for a winner up the line. It helps the Latvian to a comfortable hold to 15. 

2:21PM

Halep 2-1 Ostapenko* (*next server)

Ostapenko grew frustrated by the retrieval skills of Timea Bacsinszky on Thursday, but the Swiss player's defensive skills are nothing compared to Halep's. The Romanian is scuttling around the court with unbelievable speed, and she draws a few more errors from  Ostapenko to wrap up a love hold. 

2:19PM

Halep* 1-1 Ostapenko (*next server) - Halep breaks back

Halep looks understandably a bit miffed by that unceremonious service break, and she smacks away a forehand return winner for 0-15. Two forehand errors from Ostapenko follow, and it's three break back points for Halep at 0-40. The Latvian saves a couple, but she then sends a forehand wide to hand the break straight back. 

We're back on serve, and the pattern looks to be set - Ostapenko will either scream away a winner or go for too much and make an unforced error.

2:16PM

Halep 0-1 Ostapenko* (*next server) - Ostapenko breaks

Absolutely monstrous hitting from Ostapenko, who thunders away three huge backhands to go up 0-40 and earn herself three break points. A fourth massive backhand follows - this time a winner down the line - and the Latvian breaks to love in her first game in a grand slam final. 

What a start! Though I would expect there to be quite a few breaks of serve this match. 

2:12PM

Ready? Play

The sun is out and it's a warm afternoon at around 22 degrees with thankfully not too much of a breeze. There are lots of Romanian flags in the crowd, and we expect Halep will be enjoying the majority of the crowd support.

The two players are wearing matching white and green outfits, and we're about to get under way. Halep will serve first. 

2:05PM

Players are out

And they're knocking up. We'll be under way shortly... 

1:52PM

Reasons to back Jelena

This is what Halep will be up against today. Personally though I think the Romanian will come through in three sets today.  

1:49PM

Bizarre stat

Should Ostapenko win today it would be the first title of her career. The last player to open their account at Roland Garros was Gustavo Kuerten, on June 8 1997 - the day Ostapenko was born.

1:35PM

Head to head

These two have never met before, so we're none the wiser as to how their games might match up. But this is what Halep had to say pre-match about her young opponent:

1:20PM

Evert's view - success for Simona

“I don’t think Halep is going to let go of this title,” said Eurosport pundit and seven-time French Open champion Chris Evert yesterday. “The way she has got here, through all the adversity – remember she nearly didn’t even play the tournament as she hurt her ankle [in the Rome final a week earlier].

“It’s not against a Serena Williams or a Maria Sharapova, it’s not against a player that she has lost to. She will come to the match playing sharper than ever, this is her best ever chance to win a grand slam – she has the experience, and the wisdom and I think she will find a way.”

You can listen to the full interview on The Tennis Podcast, right here. 

12:55PM

Preamble - match starts at 2pm

Hello all, and welcome to our live blog of the French Open women's final between the third seed and former Roland Garros junior champion Simona Halep and the unseeded 20-year-old Jelena Ostapenko. 

If sporting rivalries are added intrigue by contrasting styles, then we should be in for a belting final. Aside from Eastern European backgrounds - Halep is from Romania and Ostapenko is Latvian - these two really could not be more different. 

Halep, 25, is the polished clay-courter with delightful touch and feel, Steffi Graf-esque movement, and an all-round game that should really have carried her to a grand slam title by now. Despite carrying an ankle injury, she came into the tournament as the favourite, and although there have been a few hiccups along the way - not least trailing a set and 1-5 to Elina Svitolina in the quarter-final and then facing a match point - Halep has looked every inch the champion-elect. 

Crucially, with the help of coach Darren Cahill, Halep has kept her suspect temperament (see below) under control, and claimed to be so in the moment against Svitolina that she did not even realise she was facing a match point. Incidentally a win today will not only carry Halep to her first grand slam, it will also take he to world No 1 for the first time ever. 

And now onto Ostapenko, who if you have not seen play before, then you're in for a treat. The Latvian turned 20 on Thursday and celebrated her birthday by defeating Timea Bacsinszky in three sets to reach her first grand slam final. In fact, going into this tournament she had never got beyond the third round of a major, but at Roland Garros she has been inspired and also knocked out Sam Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki along the way. 

With a ranking of 47 and no titles to her name, Ostapenko has been something of a bolter at this tournament. She arrived at Roland Garros with no expectations but has cut a swathe through the draw with her unrelenting aggression and in so doing has become the first unseeded player to reach the French Open final since Yugoslavia’s Mima Jausovic (who had already won the title six years earlier) in 1983. 

Ostapenko's forehand in particular is a frightening proposition, and its average speed has been quicker this fortnight than world No 1 Andy Murray's. She overwhelmed Bacsinszky with it on Thursday and eviscerated Wozniacki in the quarter-final with a display of brute force. 

The flip side of Ostapenko's all out attack is that she makes a heck of a lot of errors, but like Stan Wawrinka, it is great fun to watch. Ostapenko's reactions to losing points can also provide entertaining viewing, with her self-loathing and disgust making Andy Murray look like a picture of serenity. 

Ostapenko's feistiness is not to everyone's taste - Britain's Naomi Broady took exception to her throwing a racket in the direction of a ballboy in Auckland earlier this year - and her frustrations can become counter-productive, but she is endearingly raw and could just be the new star that the WTA Tour so desperately needs. 

The word you hear used most often to describe Ostapenko is "fearless", and she'll need all of that courage today if she's to claim an unlikely win. I think it will be close, but I expect Halep to edge it in three sets and finally win her maiden grand slam. 

12:53PM

Preview

What is it?

Romania's Simona Halep will play Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko in the final of the women's French Open final.

When is it?

The final will take place on Saturday afternoon and, as both players have never reached the French Open final before, we're guaranteed to have a first time winner at Roland Garros.

What time does it start?

The final will begin at 2pm UK time. 

What TV channel is it on?

You'll have your choice of channels on Saturday with the final being broadcast on both ITV4 and Eurosport 1. 

What's the head to head?

Halep, who was the 2014 runner-up, has never faced 20-year-old Jelena Ostapenko.

Ostapenko, who is the world number 47 going into the final, has beaten a whole host of famous players including Monica Puig, Caroline Wozniacki and Sam Stosur.

How have they reached this round? 

Third seed Simona Halep moved to within one game of winning her first Grand Slam title with a three set win over Karolina Pliskova.

Victory over Ostapenko in the final at Roland Garros will also ensure her the world number one ranking. 

Halep was able to cope with the powerful groundstrokes of Pliskova to book her place in the final with a  6-4 3-6 6-3 victory.

After being beaten by Halep in the last four, Pliskova has tipped the Romanian to lift the trophy.

“No doubt that Ostapenko is having a good run here, and she’s a dangerous player for everybody, but I would bet everything I have on Simona,” Pliskova said.

“Maybe hard court, grass would be different, but I think on clay, with the way how she’s (Halep) moving and how many balls she’s putting back, I think she has a very big chance.”

Ostapenko joined Halep in the final with a surprise three set win over Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky.

The Latvian, who celebrated her 20th birthday with the win, becomes the first unseeded player to reach the French Open since 1983 when Mimi Jausovec lost to Chris Evert. 

What are they saying?

“I will play for two things — my first grand slam and No.1 in the world. It’s a big challenge, a big chance,” said Halep.

“I think I have the game. I have the mentality to win, but it’s gonna be tough.

“I expect her to give everything she has, to hit all the balls, to play with confidence. But I’m confident, as well.

“I’m ready to face her, and I’m ready to face another final. Yeah, it’s a big challenge. It’s a big thing.

“If it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen, two things in the same time.

“So it’s gonna be amazing.”

Ostapenko could become the first tennis player to win the French Open as their first title since Gustavo Kuerten in 1997.

 “I’m already in the final. I’m just going to go there and enjoy the match.

“Every match is a tough match. It’s a grand slam, and all the players are good.

“When I came here, of course I didn’t expect I would be in the final. But then, first match was a tough match, as well, and I won it. I think it kind of gave me confidence.

“Then every match I was playing better and better and I got my confidence, and I think it works pretty well.”

What are the odds?

Simona Halep 1/4

Jelena Ostapenko 11/4

What's our prediction?

Back Simona Halep to end Jelena Ostapenko's fairytale French Open campaign in three sets.