Sloane Stephens
Sloane Stephens will be eyeing her second Grand Slam title today.Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Top seed Simona Halep takes on 10th seed Sloane Stephens in the women's singles final of French Open 2018 in Paris on Saturday, June 9.

When is the final and how to watch it live in India

The women's singles final will start at 3 pm local time, 6:30 pm IST.

Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1 HD will provide live television coverage of the match in India. The live stream will be available on Hotstar.

French Open women's singles preview

World number one Halep will be meeting reigning US Open champion Stephens for the eighth time in her career later today.

The Romanian, bidding to become the first woman after Virginia Ruzici in 1978 to win the French Open at the senior level, has a positive (5-2) head-to-head record against her lower-ranked opponent, which includes two wins in 2017 (Cincinnati and Washington).

However, the pair has not met since Stephens hit peak form in New York, winning the US Open, her maiden Grand Slam crown, last year.

Can Halep break the Grand Slam final jinx in Paris?

Halep starts the match as the favourite, given the way she has dismantled Grand Slam champions Garbine Muguruza and Angelique Kerber in the semi-final and quarter-final, respectively. However, her own record in Grand Slam finals is a cause for concern.

The 26-year-old Romanian has failed at the final hurdle of major tournaments thrice — French Open (2014 and 2017) and this year's Australian Open. Halep was the overwhelming favourite against unseeded Jelena Ostapenko in the final in Paris but she squandered a good opportunity by losing in three sets.

On the other hand, Stephens won her only Grand Slam final last year months after returning from an 11-month injury layoff. The American youngster has a 6-0 win-loss record in tour finals.

Stephens has been in fine form in the ongoing tournament, dropping only one set en route to the final. However, she has faced an opponent of Halep's calibre in the tournament so far.

Nonetheless, Stephens has the ability to outclass Halep, especially with her dodgy defence, which can make her opponents commit a lot of errors. She had put a solid defensive show against Madison Keys in the semi-final to beat her compatriot in straight sets.

French Open women's singles final — Global live stream and TV listings

UK: ITV4, Eurosport; Live stream: Eurosport Player

US: ESPN2, NBC; Live stream: Tennis Channel

Australia: Fox Sports 3; Live stream: Foxtel Go

Canada: TSN

France: France TV Sport 234