Simona Halep reaches French Open final

PARIS -- Twice the runner-up in Paris, top-ranked Simona Halep will have another shot in the French Open final.

She defeated 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday, converting her first match point when the third-seeded Muguruza sent a final backhand long.

"It was very nice to play like that," Halep said. "I'm really happy that I could beat a player like Muguruza. She's a great opponent, a great player. And it's always tough against her. I think I played very well."

Halep will face the winner of Thursday's all-American semifinal match between 13th seed Madison Keys and 10th seed Sloane Stephens. The final will be played Saturday.

It will be Halep's second consecutive Grand Slam final. She lost the title match at the Australian Open in January.

"I played again one of my best matches on clay," Halep said after coming back from a break down in the second set against Muguruza.

Halep is guaranteed to remain the world No. 1 after the tournament. Had Muguruza won, she would have moved up to No. 1 when the new rankings come out next week.

Muguruza was vying to become the first woman since Justine Henin in 2006 and 2007 to win the French Open without dropping a set.

"She didn't miss a lot," Muguruza said of Halep. "I think she gave very little free points. Her shots were very, very deep and very aggressive constantly. ... It is a very tough day, because, you know, it's one of those matches where you train so hard, you know, to achieve a Grand Slam final."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.