Halep 1st No. 1 seed to lose 1st US Open match

NEW YORK — Some players, like top-ranked Simona Halep, freely acknowledge they don’t deal well with the hustle-and-bustle of the U.S. Open and all it entails.

Others, like 44thranked Kaia Kanepi, take to the Big Apple and its Grand Slam tournament.

Put those two types at opposite ends of a court at Flushing Meadows and watch what can happen: Halep made a quick-as-can-be exit Monday, overwhelmed by the power-based game of Kanepi 6-2, 6-4 to become the first No. 1-seeded woman to lose her opening match at the U.S. Open in the half-century of the professional era.

Halep blamed opening-round jitters, and that has been a recurring theme throughout her career. The reigning French Open champion has now lost her first match at 12 of 34 career Simona Halep returns a shot to Kaia Kanepi during the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday in New York.

major appearances, a stunningly high rate for such an accomplished player.

“It’s always about the nerves,” said Halep, who was beaten in the first round in New York by five-time major champion Maria

Sharapova in 2017. “Even when you are there in the top, you feel the same nerves. You are human.”

She also offered up an explanation tied to this site.

“Maybe the noise in the crowd. The city is

busy. So everything together,” said Halep, who was coming off consecutive runs to the final at hard-court tuneup tournaments at Cincinnati and Montreal. “I’m a quiet person, so maybe I like the smaller places.”

It was the first match at the rebuilt Louis Armstrong Stadium, which now has about 14,000 seats and a retractable roof.

In other women’s play, Venus Williams moved to the second round by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in a matchup of past U.S. Open champions.

Williams, the No. 16 seed and a semifinalist last year at Flushing Meadows, could play younger sister Serena in the third round. That would be their earliest Grand Slam matchup in 20 years.

Serena Williams, the No. 17 seed, beat Magda Linette 6-4, 6-0 in the opening match of the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Defending champion Sloane Stephens advanced to the second round, with the No. 3 seed defeating Evgeniya Rodina 6-1, 7-5.

In the men’s draw, Andy Murray was a winner in his return to Grand Slam tennis, beating James Duckworth 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round.

The 2012 U.S. Open champion from Britain has sat out much of the last year because of hip surgery. He hadn’t appeared in a major since Wimbledon in 2017.

Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, won his return to the tournament with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 victory over Grigor Dimitrov, who at No. 8 is the highest-seeded man to lose.

Kevin Anderson, a 2017 U.S. Open finalist, rallied to outlast Ryan Harrison in five sets. The No. 5 seed pulled out a 7-6 (4), 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in a match that lasted 4 hours, 14 minutes.

Anderson fell to Rafael Nadal last year in his first Grand Slam final.

Jack Sock, the 18thseeded American, snapped a seven-match losing streak in singles on tour with a 6-0, 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory over Guido Andreozzi.