At the French Open, Fearlessness Wins

In the women’s final of the French Open on Saturday, Jelena Ostapenko was fearless. The word was inescapable. It was repeated on television, on Twitter, in the headlines that announced her 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 win over Simona Halep. It was felt in the singe of every forehand she fired, heard in every shrieking grunt, seen in every backhand return she ripped—whether for a winner or an error. It was evident in the way that she broke Halep’s serve at love to start the match, in the way she kept gunning her shots when she was down a set, 0–3 in the second, and facing three break points. She went for a winner with every shot.

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