NEW YORK - Simona Halep has played the best tennis of her career this season, but her old demons re-emerged Monday when she lost in the first round at the U.S. Open for the second straight year. After bowing out to Maria Sharapova as the No. 2 seed on the tournament’s opening night in ‘17, Halep fell to unseeded Kaia Kanepi, the world No. 44, in straight sets on Monday, becoming the first top-seeded woman to lose in the U.S. Open first round in the Open Era.
Halep’s early defeat—2-6, 4-6 at the revamped Louis Armstrong Stadium—is somehow both surprising and extremely unsurprising.