Top five women's singles final matches at the French Open

The tournament has produced some classic encounters over the years.

The bright red clay courts of the Roland Garros has a rich history. Over the years, the fans have seen some memorable matches in French Open. They have witnessed some hard fought battles, emotional outbursts, scream of triumphs and the anguish of fallen warriors.

It has always been unpredictable. Just like in 2021 where the women's final will be contested between two players who are playing in their first ever Grand Slam final. The 31st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will take on the unseeded Barbora Krejcikova in the women's singles final.

Let's take a look into some of the best women's singles finals played at the Roland Garros.

5. Jelena Ostapenko Vs Simona Halep (2017)

Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko created quite a shockwave in the 2017 French Open, winning the title as an unseeded player. She had quite a run in competition, accumulating wins over 11th seed Caroline Wozniacki and 30th seed Timea Bacsinszky. Moreover, she topped it off with a victory over third seed Simona Halep.

Surprisingly, Ostapenko had never won a match at the Roland Garros before this tournament. She had a shaky start in the finals and ended up dropping the first set. However, she picked her game up from the second set onward. The Latvian took the second set by storm and hit 22 winners in comparison with Halep's three. She also managed to convert three out of nine break point attempts.

Halep fought back hard in the third and thwarted Ostapenko's double break point opportunity. Ostapenko held her serve and scored a break to go 4-3 up on Halep. From then on, there was no looking back. The match finally ended with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 scoreline, making her the first Latvian player to win a Grand Slam trophy.

4. Maria Sharapova Vs Simona Halep (2014)

"This is the toughest Grand Slam I've ever played," said Maria Sharapova after winning her second French Open title in 2014. The Russian had just come from a victory against Simona Halep and it was definitely so as the three hours two minute long match had too many momentum shifts, baseline exchanges and effective defence.

Halep was courageous with her strokeplay, causing Maria many problems. However, Sharapova held on, eventually breaking Halep 5-4 at the final set. The match finished with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 result as Maria fell to her knees to celebrate her victory.

3. Chris Evert Vs Martina Navratilova (1985)

The French Open Finals were also graced by one of the biggest rivalries in tennis. The rivalry between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert defined a generation.

So it's not a surprise that the Roland Garros final in 1985 was nothing short of spectacular. It was a rematch of last year's final. Navratilova had disposed Evert in straight sets in that encounter. So the feeling was even more sweet for Evert as she managed to dethrone the reigning champion. The match was dazzling from start to finish as Evert won the championship 6-3, 6-7, 7-5 for the sixth time in her career.

2. Monica Seles Vs Steffi Graf (1992)

Monica Seles faced Steffi Graf in the 1992 finals as a two time defending champion. Seles and Graf were the top players in women's tennis and were ranked World No. 1 and 2 respectively. So the crowd definitely expected some fireworks. Their previous meeting had taken place in 1990, which was in the finals as well. Seles had beaten Graf in straight sets in that match.

Seles began aggressively from the get go, winning the first set. Her ultra solid two fisted attacks put Graf on the defensive. The German came back stronger in the second set. She pushed back Seles with her aggression and used her serve efficiently. The game went on to a final set which was the best of the lot.

The decider consisted of 18 games went back and forth. Graf was merciless with her forehands but Seles was still in the match. Saving points to the point of exhaustion. She didn't crack under pressure and held on to win her third consecutive French Open title with a scoreline of 6-2, 3-6, 10-8.

"It's the most emotional match I have ever played" quipped Seles after the stunning finish.

1. Jennifer Capriati vs Kim Clijsters (2001)

The showdown between Jennifer Capriati and Kim Clijsters demonstrated the resilience of Tennis in its purest form. The winner, Capriati showcased a never say die attitude after her opponent's onslaught against her. Clijsters defeated her in the first set, only allowing her to take a single game.

Capriati regrouped and won the second set. This boosted her confidence and she went on with the same confidence in the third set. The American had two match point opportunities at 7-6 and 10-9. However, she finally got the last laugh as her final return hit the top of the tape and limped over in Clijster's court.

The final result read 1-6, 6-4,12-10 as Capriati won her first and only French Open title.

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