Paris – Might be easier said than done. Still, Maria Sharapova offered a tidy aphorism to sum up the formula that’s carried her to a third consecutive French Open final. In Saturday’s final Sharapova will face Simona Halep.<\/p>\n
”It’s not how you finish a first set,” Sharapova said, ”it’s how you finish the last set.”<\/p>\n
Right now, no one is a better closer than she is on clay. Nearing a second championship at Roland Garros, and fifth Grand Slam trophy overall, Sharapova gritted her way to yet another comeback victory, beating 18th-seeded Eugenie Bouchard of Canada 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals Thursday.<\/p>\n
”If some things are not working out, I don’t just want to quit in the middle. Because when you lose the first set or a few games or you’re down a break, that’s not the end of the match,” Sharapova said. ”That’s the type of philosophy that I play with.”<\/p>\n
She famously described herself years ago as feeling like a ”cow on ice” on clay, but Sharapova now has won her past 19 matches that went to three sets on the demanding surface.<\/p>\n
In Saturday’s final, the No. 7-seeded Sharapova will face No. 4 Simona Halep…<\/p>\n