For someone who is perhaps best known for her exploits on grass and hard, in recent times Serena Williams has looked decidedly sure footed on clay.

Over the past three years, 56 wins on the surface have brought Williams eight titles, including that elusive second French Open crown. However, from the opening stanza on the terre battue this time around, it was clear that getting her hands on the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen once more would be anything but straightforward.

The first hiccup came in Madrid, where a straight set loss to Petra Kvitova finally blotted the American’s hitherto unblemished record in 2015. Her preparations were dealt a further blow in Rome, when injury brought her tournament to a premature end.

Kvitova and clay court queen Maria Sharapova left with the silverware in Madrid and Rome to enhance their own clay court credentials, while, away from the spotlight of the Premier-level events, several of the WTA’s next generation grasped the opportunity to add to their already impressive résumés; Karolina Pliskova took home the spoils on home soil in Prague, and Elina Svitolina picked up the title in Marrakech.

Elsewhere, Angelique Kerber shook off her tag as the WTA’s perennial bridesmaid, ending a run of four straight final defeats with back-to-back victories in Charleston and Stuttgart. Samantha Stosur and Karin Knapp also made it into the winner’s circle once more, triumphing in Strasbourg and Nürnberg, respectively.

Once in Paris, though, the script went out of the window. In a first week littered with upsets – 10 of the Top 16 seeds failed to make it past the third round – No.3 seed Simona Halep was the biggest casualty, succumbing to bête noire Mirjana Lucic-Baroni for the second time in three majors.

Halep’s exit left the path clear for defending champion Sharapova in the bottom half, only for Lucie Safarova to throw a spanner in the works with a memorable fourth round upset.

Safarova would go on to reach the final, the fairytale ending, though, was reserved for Williams, who after two and a half hours on Philippe Chatrier finally emerged triumphant from an absorbing encounter.