(Reuters/NAN) World number one Simona Halep was upset 6-2 6-4 by unseeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi in the U.S. Open first round on Monday.
It is the second consecutive year the Romanian has lost her opening match at Flushing Meadows.
Playing in the first match on the newly renovated Louis Armstrong Stadium court, the French Open champion failed to sustain any kind of service rhythm.
Her usually stout defence proved no match for Kanepi’s bruising ground strokes and deft drop shots. (Reuters/NAN)