No. 1 women’s seed Halep upset by Kanepi at US Open
NEW YORK — World No. 1 Simona Halep is definitely a perplexing figure to get a true read on as she journeys through women’s tennis.
At times, she’s hot-headed and determined, traits the 26-year-old believes align with her Romanian roots. To that end, she’s a feisty competitor with the spirit to fight her way out of even the most dire situations.
At other times, she seems to forget she’s currently the best in the business and appears too accepting of defeat, seemingly relieved to have a final outcome decided.
Monday, the opening day of the US Open, it was the second Halep who showed up for work.
While Halep didn’t play badly, she didn’t give enough to combat the power and aggressive nature of Kaia Kanepi to determine the outcome in her favor.
Halep came across as comfortably resigned to her losing fate in a postmatch news conference after the Estonian upset her 6-2, 6-4. It was Halep’s second consecutive first-round departure at the US Open, having fallen to Maria Sharapova last year.
In all, Halep’s lost by the third round during six of her nine appearances at the US Open.
“I’m not complaining,” Halep said. “I just say that I don’t really feel 100 percent my game when I step on the court here. But, maybe, in the future it’s gonna change something, I will change something and it will be better.”
The history books will forever show that the first match played on the new
14,000-plus seat Louis Armstrong Stadium saw the top seed dismantled by a
44th-ranked opponent. “Actually I’m happy I was first one there, even if I lost,” said Halep, smiling.
To date, Halep’s best career finish at the US Open was reaching the semifinals in 2015, losing to eventual champion Flavia Pennetta of Italy.
Later in the day, Venus Williams beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in a match that stretched nearly three hours between two former Open champs.
Despite the early exit, Halep will retain her top-ranking status following the completion of the final Grand Slam tournament of the season.
Halep finally pulled off a Grand Slam victory at this year’s French Open, her first major win in four appearances in finals. Her other Grand Slam final showings came at the French Open in 2014 and ’17 and the 2018 Australian Open.
Unfortunately, she hasn’t managed to build on that French Open victory at the next Grand Slams, losing in the Wimbledon third round and now the first round here.
“I think every player is struggling a little bit in the first round,” Halep said. “It’s always about the nerves. Even when you are there in the top, you feel the same nerves. You are human.
“For me, it’s more difficult in the first rounds, because I’m more emotional. That’s why I need a good start. I’m not scared about that. I have won so many first round and also tournament after tough first rounds. Sometimes can happen, and today happened. It’s not a drama, but it’s tough.”
Heading into the US Open, Halep was in winning form. She reached back-to-back finals, winning the Montreal title with a defeat of reigning US Open champion Sloane Stephens and losing in Cincinnati to Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.
Behind 6-2, 3-0 to Kanepi, Halep mounted a comeback to 4-4 in the second set but proceeded to lose the last two games of the 76-minute match.
Halep, who had only nine unforced errors in the encounter to 28 for Kanepi, struggled to win points on her second serve, posting a 30% margin on that shot, which helped lead to her downfall.
“I cannot say much about this match, just that I didn’t really feel the ball,” Halep said. “But also, she played really strong and pushed me back, so it was tough.
“Today I just was not my day, and as I said, the balance was not there. I couldn’t feel myself strong on the court to win this match.”
Kanepi, a two-time quarterfinalist at the US Open, including at last year as a qualifier, lost the only other time she faced Halep, in the second round of the 2014 Doha tournament. The victory was Kanepi’s first against a top-20 opponent since the 2015 Madrid tournament.
“I love playing here in New York,” Kanepi said. “I have always loved it. So, maybe, the court also suits my game.”