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PARIS, June 9-- With one win away from her maiden Grand Slam trophy and world No. 1 position, Simona Halep still kept a cool head against the history-making Latvian underdog Jelena Ostapenko. "Of course it's going to be a great thing if I can win tomorrow, but I would like not to think too much, as it will put more pressure," said the No. 3 seed Halep at the pre-game conference on Friday. After top seed Angelique Kerber's first-round exit, Halep grasped the chance to replace the German to move atop WTA world rankings with a crucial head-to-head win against the second-seeded Karolina Pliskova in Thursday's semifinals. The Romanian could accomplish the mission if she uppered in Saturday's final. However, her next opponent Ostapenko was also on an unbelievable run at Roland Garros this year as the first Latvian to reach a Grand Slam final. The Latvian promising star gave herself a perfect gift to celebrate her 20th birthday after eliminating the No. 30 seed Timea Bacsinszky. The recording-breaking victory earned Ostapenko nationwide attention back home, even from the President of Latvia. As she revealed, the President gave her mother a phone call. "That means a lot already," she said. "I'm already in the final. Simona is a great player. In the match against her I need to stay aggressive and to play my game. It's going to be a tough match and I have to be ready for it," commented Ostapenko. | 
