US Open: Simona Halep suffers first-round loss to Ukraine’s Daria Snigur
US Open: Simona Halep suffers first-round loss to Ukraine’s Daria Snigur: One of the favorites to win the US Open in Flushing Meadows this year was Simona Halep, who now works with Serena Williams’ old coach Patrick Mouratoglou. However, the Romanian world No. 7 was shocked in the first round when she was eliminated by Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur in three sets. Snigur was taking part in her very first Grand Slam first-round match.
a 7th seed The greatest surprise of the first day at Flushing Meadows saw Simona Halep lose to Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur in the first round of the US Open.
The Romanian’s hopes of winning a third Grand Slam singles championship abruptly vanished as she succumbed to a 2-6 6-0 3-6 loss to the world No. 124.
The 20-year-old Snigur won the first set with ease, but Halep bounced back by thrashing her rival and looked to be in control heading into the final.
But it was the Ukrainian who struck first, twice breaking Halep’s serve on route to a noteworthy triumph in her first Grand Slam main draw match.
Snigur defeated a top-10 player in her debut match at the tour level, and as a result, she will face either Rebecca Marino or Magdalena Frech in the second round.
“I’m overjoyed. I want to congratulate Simona for a fantastic game; it was a terrific learning experience for me because you can never play against Simona and win! Thank you to everyone who came out to witness our game today, Snigur stated.
“I did my best while being quite apprehensive. This game is for my Ukraine, my family, and my fans, and I want to thank everyone for their support.
Snigur got out to a quick start, breaking Halep in the first game and obtaining a second service break on route to winning the opening set 6-2.
Halep, who earlier this summer advanced to the semifinals of Wimbledon and warmed up for the US Open by triumphing in Toronto, surged back by winning every game in the second set.
But Snigur wasn’t deterred; the 2019 Wimbledon junior winner from Ukraine came back with an early break in the final.
She next achieved a second break of service to gain a significant advantage, but Halep answered with a break and hold of her own to level the score at 5-4.
Halep’s backhand landed in the net, giving Snigur her third match-point opportunity on service.
The magnitude of her astounding accomplishment finally hit the 20-year-old, who appeared in shock.
It was “DISAPPOINTING FOR HALEP”
“It’s a huge disappointment for Halep to lose to Snigur, who was playing in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time; nobody saw it coming,” says Barbara Schett.
“I thought Simona made a lot of careless mistakes today. I believed that she had some harm left to do this year.
“She won the Toronto event, so I figured this may be her turn, but it seems like Simona Halep and the US Open never seem to get along.
“She simply has to focus on the upcoming season and keep practicing. She has rekindled her love for tennis, so hopefully she maintains her enthusiasm. But there’s no denying that this was let down.”
Matthew Wilander “Daria Snigur has a highly unconventional playing style, making her particularly difficult to play against on a hard court. We didn’t see it coming.
“I think Simona definitely wants to win, but perhaps her passion and hunger to succeed in matches aren’t nearly as strong as they were when she was younger.
“She had already suffered several early defeats at the US Open, but I believe this is by far her worst major because to the heat and difficulty of the day. Of course, I’m astonished. Indeed disappointing.”