Will Halep win her first major in Paris?

There may never be a better time than right now for Simona Halep to win a major title and chase after the No. 1 ranking. The 25-year-old Romanian star has been a Top-10 regular since 2014, but now she enters a brave new WTA world where there’s room at the top.

Both Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka are taking time off for maternity leave, Angelique Kerber is slumping, and Maria Sharapova’s return will face more loaded brackets as a wild card.

Halep could very well be the one to launch her bid for No. 1 as the clay-court season kicks into high gear. She was a close runner-up in the 2014 French Open final to Sharapova, and she won Madrid last year. Although clay is a good surface for Halep, sometimes the high topspin bounces from opponents can make it difficult for her to dictate shots.

It’s evident that Halep understands her need to keep improving after a tough loss to eventual Miami Open winner Johanna Konta last month. She told the WTA that she worked hard on her attitude.

"After Miami, I decided to change some things," Halep said. "I worked very hard. I worked a lot on my attitude a lot. I changed some things in myself. and now I feel more confident and I feel more relaxed on court and more motivated."

The payoff came when she defeated Konta in a pivotal Fed Cup match that would lead Romania past Great Britain. She played with more strength and spirit in her relentlessness to chase down every ball.

Halep’s excellent footing and hard-working style is the edge she needs to survive tough challenges from early-rounds competitors that have occasionally upset her when her game is off. At Stuttgart, she showed extra vigor in crushing Barbora Strycova and Anastasija Sevastova.

But she was stopped by eventual champion Laura Siegemund in the semifinals. How will Halep respond with many big matches over the course of the spring and summer? Is she ready to turn the tables on Sharapova, find her openings against powerful Karolina Pliskova and outlast defending French Open champion Garbine Muguruza?

Madrid and Rome are important stops for Halep heading to the French Open. A big title victory could go a long way in setting up a great burst for her in Paris.