Halep : “I was surprised by everything in my opponent’s game”

Simona Halep skipped the media after her shocking defeat at the US Open first round, but she reserved some words for Eurosport Romania

Simona Halep and Daria Snigur, US Open 2022 | © AI / Reuters / Panoramic

Cédric Rouquette

August 31, 2022

Introduced as a 2022 US Open contender by many pundits (including Marion Bartoli on Tennis Majors), Simona Halep suffered the most disappointing loss of her season during her first round match against qualified Daria Snigur from Ukraine (6-2, 0-6, 6-4).

The Romanian, seed No 7 and third best player of the year at the WTA Race, skipped the mandatory press conference in New York and didn’t share any feeling on the moment.

This defeat is related to only tennis factors, she finally said to Eurosport on Tuesday, with no mention of a ” panic attack” as she did in Roland-Garros.

Halep : “Her balls were very accurate, close to the lines”

«”I think that my opponent played an extraordinary match,” she said in words natively published in Romanian. “I felt under pressure because her balls were very accurate, close to the lines. She missed few shots with some speed in her game.”

“She is a big talent and her game was my big problem on this day, Halep added. She had shots I didn’t really expected, as I had never played her. This is a strange tennis, but a good one overall. She’s able to put you under pressure from any position. I spent my time being surprised.”

Daria Snigur | © AI / Reuters / Panoramic

“I just didn’t find the solution and missed easy shots with unforced errors. She deserved to win. I could eventually come back, you never knew till the end, but I just didn’t find my way. »« I’m sorry for the loss but that’s how life is, how sport it, and now let’s move on.”

Halep, aged 30, did not provide any details on the rest of her season.