Simona Halep thought another chance to win her first Grand Slam title "had gone" before she fought back to win the French Open.
Halep, 26, was a set and a break down against American 10th seed Sloane Stephens but won 3-6 6-4 6-1.
The Romanian had lost all three of her previous Grand Slam finals, including last year's Roland Garros showpiece.
"I felt 'it's gone, it's not going to happen again, but it's OK. I have just to play'," the world number one said.
Halep led by a set and a break in last year's defeat by unseeded Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, and said she used the experience of being on the wrong end of that fightback to help her turn around Saturday's match.