French Open 2018 Results: Women's Final Score and Men's Final Prediction

Simona Halep had been at the precipice of a Grand Slam.

She had reached a championship match on three different occasions and each time came up short. She was determined to make the 2018 French Open championship match against Sloane Stephens a different experience.

It was not looking good for her well into the second set. She dropped the first set 6-3, and it was clear Stephens had a power advantage. However, even after she fell behind by a break in the second set, she appeared confident.

The top-ranked player in the world and No. 1 seed started to execute her shots. Her relentlessness and conditioning paid off as she squared the match in the second set and rolled to triumph in the third.

Halep earned a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory, and it brought a huge reaction from the Paris crowd that was clearly supporting the Romanian star over the American.

There was a palpable sense of relief after the match as emotion washed over her face and the crowd roared its approval.

"I did everything I could, and I was dreaming of this moment from the time I started to play tennis," Halep said on the NBC broadcast. "I am so glad it happened here in Paris, my special city."

Despite trailing in the match early and looking somewhat vulnerable, Halep did not doubt herself. "I knew I was fine," she added. "I just had to play my game and have fun."

That's just what she did, as she used her court awareness and athleticism to take control of the match and gain her first Grand Slam title.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

Nadal Bidding for 11th French Open Title

If Rafael Nadal is going to fail in a French Open final, he has given no indication of it.

He'll square off against Austria's Dominic Thiem on Sunday, and he comes in off a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro that improved his record to 11-0 in French Open semifinals.

When he moves to the tournament's climax, he does not let the opportunity go: He is 10-0 in championship matches at Roland-Garros.

Might he be overconfident? Not a chance.

He is respectful of the seventh-seeded Thiem, who earned his way to the finals with a dominating 7-5, 7-6 (12), 6-1 victory Friday over 72nd-ranked Marco Cecchinato of Italy.

"He's an amazing player," Nadal said of Thiem. "He's a player with big power. He's playing with big confidence. ... I know I have to play at my best. I know I have to improve a little bit."

Thiem has beaten Nadal on clay three times in his career, including once this year. He is not predicting a victory over the Spanish superstar, but he says he knows how to develop a plan of attack that could make him competitive against Nadal.

Nadal has a 49-0 record in the past two years against opponents other than Thiem on clay, so if Theim is going to earn the French Open title, he would be well-advised to win the first set. Nadal has a 77-0 career record in Paris when he is victorious in the opening set.

Prediction

Nadal has known nothing but success at Roland-Garros, and he is coming off a dominating win against a powerful opponent in Del Potro.

Theim is an excellent clay-court player, and he has wins over Nadal on the surface. He will give Nadal a challenge and may take a set.

However, despite a possible scare, Nadal will raise his arms in Paris for an 11th time.