An eventful 2018 for Simona Halep? You could say that. It began at the Australian Open.
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Halep saved match points twice, including in a third-round epic against Lauren Davis, en route to reaching the final. And this as she nursed a sore ankle.
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Halep or Caroline Wozniacki were guaranteed to open their grand slam account. It turned out to be Wozniacki after the Dane overturned a break deficit late in the third.
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But Halep ended her grand slam drought on her favored surface of clay. The Romanian reversed a set and break deficit to beat Sloane Stephens.
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Halep became the first Romanian to win a grand slam title since her manager, Virginia Ruzici, 40 years earlier.
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Halep praised coach Darren Cahill during their partnership. They exchanged a hug after Halep's Roland Garros triumph.
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It was all so different a year earlier. Halep relinquished a set and break leads in the second and third sets as she was defeated by Latvia's free-swinging Jelena Ostapenko in Paris.
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This year after her French Open win, 20,000 fans greeted Halep in Bucharest.
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But at the US Open, the year's final major, Halep crashed out to Kaia Kanepi in the first round.
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Halep ended her season with a back injury, while coach Cahill initiated a split, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.