Simona Halep is experiencing something new at the French Open this year.
The Romanian player is back in Paris to defend her title, a situation she's never been in before.
And she likes it.
"Much better and much easier, because I have the title already," Halep said Friday at Roland Garros. "Doesn't matter anymore what is going to happen. Everything now comes as a bonus. So I will try just to give my best and to see if I'm able to do it again."
Halep, the second Romanian woman to win a Grand Slam title after Virginia Ruzici in 1978, won the French Open last year by rallying past Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final. She had previously lost three Grand Slams finals, including two on the French clay.
Before her win, the former top-ranked player often had the unpleasant tendency to crumble on big occasions. Like two years ago in the French Open final, when she led Jelena Ostapenko by a set and 3-0 only to fall apart.
She said her defending champion status takes a lot of pressure off.
"Mentally, I am pretty relaxed," she said. "So I just want to take the positive and to be in this position, I think, is the best thing. I am too happy to be in this position, I have to admit this. But there is nothing bad."
Although she has not won a title this year and lost her first match in Rome last week, Halep is confident she can achieve a deep run in Paris on the back of solid clay-court campaign. She won two Fed Cup matches on the slow surface last month and reached the final in Madrid.
"Even if I didn't win the final, I felt that my level is very high," she said. "I have confidence. Coming here, practicing, I felt really well."
Seeded third in Paris, Halep will open her campaign against Ajla Tomljanovic, a player she beat last year on hard court.
"It's going to be different because it's clay court," Halep said. "But still it's going to be a very tough match. She's powerful. She hits the ball strong. If I am able to do my game, I think I have a good chance to win."
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MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Blowing late leads has become a hallmark of Manchester United's season.
Erik ten Hag hopes that changes when Liverpool comes to Old Trafford on Sunday. United is still clinging to hopes of a Champions League spot, despite a stunning 4-3 loss to Chelsea on Thursday night.
United first gave away the lead in the 10th minute of stoppage time at Stamford Bridge and then the game a minute later — both goals coming from Cole Palmer.
That followed a blown lead in a 1-1 draw at Brentford last Saturday. United had just recovered from celebrating Mason Mount's goal in the 96th when Kristoffer Ajer tied it three minutes later.
“We can beat the best teams in the Premier League,” Ten Hag said. “When you beat them in the Premier League, you can do it across Europe, but we need to learn how you win games ... how you bring games over the line and get the three points. We have to step up."
Dropping five points in the past two games is “very expensive,” he added.
“Games are running out. We know that and we have to catch up and we are now many points behind,” Ten Hag said. “It will be difficult. We will keep fighting.”
With eight games remaining, United is nine points behind fifth-place Tottenham and 11 points back of fourth-place Aston Villa. Because of a format change to the Champions League next season, the Premier League might get a fifth spot in Europe's elite club competition.
Blowing leads is not a new problem.
United exited the Champions League at the group stage — in last place. They gave away second-half leads in three of those games: a 3-2 home loss to Galatasaray; a 4-3 defeat at Copenhagen; and a 3-3 draw at Galatasaray.
The good news? United has actually closed out a big win recently — over Liverpool 4-3 after extra time in a thrilling FA Cup quarterfinal match. Marcus Rashford tied it at 3-3 before Amad Diallo's winner at Old Trafford.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp pointed to uncharacteristic errors that they'll need to avoid this time.
“We were really good that day but didn’t finish the situations off in extra time,” Klopp said. “We made mistakes we didn’t make before at all. We better play a really good football game to be honest, if we want something there.”
First-place Liverpool holds a two-point lead over Arsenal heading into the weekend.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag gives instructions from the side line during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in London, Thursday, April 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Manchester United players react after referee award a penalty to Chelsea during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in London, Thursday, April 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
