Halep's steady approached looked like taking her to a first grand slam title but she appeared drained at the end by the constant barrage coming from across the net.
Her stunning run in Paris - capped by a riveting 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback win over the No. 3 seed, Simona Halep, in the final - made her the first Latvian to win a Grand Slam singles title. Three years ago it was something new, so now I know.
And victory was secured in fitting fashion, a rasping double-handed backhand victor down the line rendering Halep motionless while Ostapenko was left to soak up the adulation of the crowd following a stunning triumph. A year before that, she lost in the first round of qualifying at Roland Garros.
Ostapenko was then unable to hold her serve, finishing the set with a tally of 14 winners and 23 unforced errors. Ostapenko's average forehand speed topped that of men's No. 1 Andy Murray this fortnight. Her coach, Darren Cahill, said it would have been a "nice bonus" but that this possibility did not add stress to her preparations.
Although Ostapenko's next game was sloppy, allowing Halep to break back, she won the final two games with some relentless hitting, including four clean winners in the final game, to take the final to a deciding set.
A telling statistic: Of the 33 points Halep won in the first set, only one - yes, just one! - came via a victor off her racket. She was the runner-up to Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros in 2014.
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Even though her road to the championship met a few obstacles, hey, anytime you can have your photo next to Serena Williams, it's not necessarily a bad thing.
Halep sealed it on the fifth break of serve of the set when Ostapenko hit a forehand long.
Three chances then came and went for a second break and 4-0 but Ostapenko kept the set competitive by clinging on for dear life. She also became the first-ever Latvian to win a Major. "Enjoy, be happy, and keep it going", Halep told Ostapenko, "because you're like a kid".
This was the classic contrast of styles, with Halep a superb mover and defender, but ultimately aggression won out. She also had never before won a tour-level title of any sort.
"I still can not believe it, because it was my dream and now it came true", she said.
The women's game in recent years has been littered with players who have struggled to follow up major breakthroughs, but Ostapenko is determined not to get too carried away. If she had taken any of them, most likely that would have finished off Ostapenko. She played really well in the very tough moments. Not only did she defeat Halep, but she ousted former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, former French Open finalist Samantha Stosur and 2015 semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky.
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