A lively deciding set ensued, beginning with Mladenovic saving two break points in the opening game, only to struggle to do likewise in the third as Halep earned a vital break.
Halep's win makes her the first woman to reach the final three times, having progressed to the showpiece in 2014 before winning previous year.
But she lost to Lesia Tsurenko in the final of the International-level event in Acapulco and to Laura Siegemund last month at the premier-level Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Halep hit an unforced error in the first point, Mladenovic was up 3-0, then 4-2 and on 5-4 she hit an incredible running drop shot, then a forehand victor on 6-5.
Simona Halep of Romania and France's Kristina Mladenovic will contest the women's singles final at the Madrid Open after both won their semi-finals today. But she had expended most of her energy and could not keep up with Halep, who served out the match in style by winning the game to love.
He came from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev of Germany 3-6, 6-0, 6-4.
During her 2016 quest, Halep defeated Japan's Misaki Doi, Italian Karin Knapp, Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky, her compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu, Australia's Samantha Stosur and the Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova.
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Like Halep, Mladenovic won her quarterfinal and semifinal encounters in straight sets.
Kristina Mladenovic reached her fourth final of 2017 and the biggest one of her career with a poised performance against Svetlana Kuznetsova on Friday in Madrid. Her game suits perfectly on clay, I would say.
"The crowd is supporting me all the time, the courts fit me". However, the Croat retired at the end of the second set, sending Mladenovic through into the second round.
It was her 21st clay win from the past 24 matches on the surface.
Halep had a good run in Madrid again this year.
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