Venus and Harrison win doubles at French Open

The Latvian also came back from a 1-3 deficit in the third set to power on to victory.

"I mean, I think I can not believe I am Roland Garros champion, and I am only 20 years old", Ostapenko said in an on-court interview after her upset win.

Playing a tactical match that dared Ostapenko to go for low-percentage shots, Halep executed her gameplan yet saw the Latvian have an answer, hitting winners from balls 99% of the tour would miss.

Halep appeared on the way to a relative runaway, leading by a set and 3-0 in the second, then holding three break points for the chance to go ahead 4-0. Here are the takeaways fro.

Ostapenko will rise to a career-high mark of No 1 while Halep is left to reflect on her second runners-up finish in Paris after defeat to Maria Sharapova in 2014.

"I didn't see how people could play tennis on it".

"She played really well in the very tough moments for her when I was up set and 3-0".

The 20-year-old Ostapenko, who is ranked 47th, clinched it with her first match point, with a backhand down the line.

The French Open may have been her first WTA title, but I doubt it will be her last.

Cahill had briefly walked away from his partnership with Halep after Miami in March due to her negative attitude during matches but reunited with her prior to the clay season.

Her victory highlights a curious landscape in women's tennis as, with Serena Williams out of action due to her pregnancy and world number one Angelique Kerber having a terrible time, tournaments are more open than they ever have been. "Actually, it's something I can not understand".

The major turning point for Ostapenko in the match came in the second set, when nothing was going right for her. I have full faith that one of these days she's going to hold one of these trophies'.

"I think if I have a really good day and I'm hitting really well, anything is possible".

"I did ballroom dancing as well as tennis and I had to choose between them but I preferred tennis and I think that is my sport!" she smiled. "So I want to really hit the ball [hard]".

Halep won the opening set 6-4. "Then year-by-year I liked it more and more because I understood how to play on grass and now I love that surface".

The tally of Ostapenko's unforced errors for the final was 54.

"This one hurts a lot maybe because I realize more what is happening", the Romanian said.

Playing a fearless brand of tennis with a level of danger that shares similarities with the Auckland Sky Tower jump, Ostapenko took risks throughout the fortnight here and will return to Riga with a grand slam title in the bag.

She has only previously reached the second round, but, having overcome such long odds at the French Open, she will be full of confidence heading into the competition. But Ostapenko rallied, as she would against two much more experienced players - 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur in the fourth round and former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals. "I have no words", said an ecstatic Ostapenko. I have been sick to my stomach with emotions. "She deserved to win", Halep pointed out, adding that she suffered much more from the loss this time compared with that three years ago. With Wimbledon just around the corner and her ranking having risen from 47 to 12, she is likely to be hugely risky.

Halep has had issues before with being too self-critical and coming down hard on herself, particularly during matches.