There's a wild card in the French Open final this year -- not one of the official ones, but an easygoing 25-year-old Floridian with a glossy game and the ability to thunder as well as tease. That's No. 10 seed Sloane Stephens. As we've seen over the past two weeks, she is capable of matching hits as well as wits with three-time Grand Slam runner-up, Simona Halep.
Halep has a 5-2 lead on Stephens in their rivalry and has won four in a row, going back to their only meeting on clay. That was a Roland Garros in 2014, where Halep swamped Stephens in a fourth-round match, 6-4, 6-3. Will that matter in Saturday's final? Here are some of the outstanding questions we have:
What chance does Stephens have to turn around this rivalry?
Halep, 26, is a year and a half older than Stephens, and she matured on the court more quickly. That leaves an asterisk beside the head-to-head stats. When Halep began her 4-0 run, she was already a solid No. 3 in the world after a breakout year. Stephens at the time was still an enigma, struggling with her game.
But after a lengthy foot injury hiatus last year that kept her out of action until July, Stephens won the US Open, a run that took many by surprise. Since then, it's been a roller-coaster ride: Stephens fell into a slump immediately afterward, losing her final six matches of 2017 and first two of 2018. But this past March, she won the Miami Open, setting the stage for her run at the French Open.
As Stephens said in her news conference after the Roland Garros semifinals: "There is no, like, formula [for maturation]. There's no right or wrong. It's just each person is individual and does it on their own time."
Is Halep's record at this tournament an asset or a liability?
Experience cuts both ways. Everyone and her brother is aware that winning this tournament has become Halep's goal -- but it's also the ultimate, pressure-filled test of her legitimacy as a No. 1 player.
Halep lost a grueling, lengthy heartbreaker to Maria Sharapova in the 2014 final, then fought her way to the final again last year, this time with a golden opportunity to throttle 18-year-old, first-time Grand Slam finalist Jelena Ostapenko. But Halep lost the match after being up a set and a break. She also lost an excruciatingly close Australian Open final earlier this year.
The failures were painful, but they have hardened Halep and taught her to manage her expectations. Still, unlike Stephens, she has never won a major, and any Grand Slam champion will tell you it's no sure bet -- until you do it.
"I will stay chill. I will relax," Halep said to reporters after the semifinal. Aware that some cast this as a seminal moment, Halep remarked, "So, I lost three times until now and no one died, so it will be OK."
How different are these players?
Superficially, Halep and Stephens have a lot in common. Neither is a big server. Both are great movers with excellent groundstrokes. They play great defense because they move extremely well. There will be no great contrast of styles on display.
But there are significant differences beneath those handsome all-court games. Stephens is the more explosive player, better capable of transitioning from defense to offense (a significant virtue in today's game). Halep, on the other hand, is more patient and better at getting back that extra ball. Stephens is more likely to go for the killing shot, while Halep is more persistent.
Halep flat-out likes to run. It appears as if Stephens hates to run, but her anticipation and quickness are remarkable gifts. She has a way of luring opponents into positions unfavorable to them.
How can Stephens match Halep's ability to outmaneuver and outlast opponents?
Stephens has one of the most versatile games in the WTA. Her ballstriking ability is breathtaking. But until her recent breakthrough, she has never showed anything like Halep's willingness to run all day and leave it all out there on the court.
Stephens can certainly rally with Halep, but her chances will improve if she can play from inside the baseline, relying on her anticipation and the ability to take the ball on the rise to keep the points crisp and purposeful.
What must Halep do to take control of the rallies?
Halep's goal probably will be to open up the court and rely on her speed and stamina to turn the match into a track meet. To accomplish that consistently, Halep will have to push Stephens back with her return. But Stephens has protected her serve very well. She's put the first ball into play 74 percent of the time in six matches, the best rate among players who got through the first round. Keeping Halep off balance with precise, unpredictable spot serving would help Stephens' cause. "We will see what is going to happen Saturday," Halep said. "But for sure I will fight for every ball."
Who has the better serve, and who's the better returner?
The stats are fascinating. Neither has been an ace machine. Halep averages an ace a match; Stephens has a grand total of three aces in her six matches. But both of them are in the top three for the tournament in first and second serves returned into play. So, mark it down as a battle not of serves but returns.
Stephens leads Halep by 10 percentage points in that first-serve conversion stat. Stephens also defended her second serve better than any other competitor, winning 67 percent of her second-serve points. This match could well be decided by the second-serve proficiency. It's one of the cardinal laws of tennis: You're only as good as your second serve.
What is the most important single factor in determining the outcome?
These days, tennis is all about controlling the area generally known as the middle of the court, or the real estate in the area between the baseline and the service T, excluding the extreme wings. The most successful players are adept at stepping into that area after either serve or return, to hit penetrating shots that open up the court by pulling their opponents to either side. Stephens, who has the greater attacking instinct, would be more inclined to leverage the middle-of-the-court real estate.
How did Stephens come to be 6-0 in tournament finals?
"There is no formula," she said. "I didn't, like, try to do it. I'm not trying to break a record. It's just how it's happened for me."
What has Halep learned from her three previous losses in Grand Slam finals?
"Can we change the subject?" she replied. "Let's talk outside. It's beautiful weather."