Simona Halep was close to tears on Saturday after ending a long wait for herself and an even longer one for Romania by winning the French Open.

The world number one, who had a reputation for collapsing when it mattered after losing three Grand Slam finals including two in Paris, finally put her hands on a major title after showing great determination to tame American Sloane Stephens 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the title match at Roland Garros.

"It's very emotional. I've been waiting for this moment since I was 14," she told the crowd after lifting the trophy up in the air, then kissing it.

The 26-year-old had to wait for her 32nd appearance at a Grand Slam event to win one at last. She had played two finals in Paris before, losing to Russian Maria Sharapova in 2014 and then to Latvian Jelena Ostapenko in heartbreaking fashion last year.

"I see guys up there with the Romanian flag," she said. "Thank you to my family and friends, my brother of course, the Romanian people and the French people too for their fantastic support."