Top seed Simona Halep goes out in shocking first round loss at the U.S. Open

Simona Halep, French Open champion and world No.1, lost in her first round match at the U.S. Open on Monday to an inspired Kaia Kanepi.

Simona Halep played the first match on the brand new revamped Louis Armstrong stadium and was the first shock loss of the New York grand slam, 2-6, 4-6. The Romanian came up against a power-hitting Kaia Kanepi, ranked No. 44, who had the top seed running all over the court.

Halep seemed out of sorts throughout, displaying her temper by whacking her racquet on the newly renovated court and whipping towels out of frustration. When she played, she couldn’t find her rhythm and seemed out of sorts throughout the match.

Kanepi, a former Top 15 player from Estonia, on the other hand, was completely in control of the match, employing her huge serve and massive groundstrokes to dictate play from the start. The Estonian player hasn’t won a tournament since 2013, having been plagued by injuries and illness since then, but played with confidence in her first round match. Kanepi was asked about her winning approach against Halep.

“Just playing aggressive,” she said during her on-court interview, per WTA Tennis.

Halep has been struggling with an ankle injury. She also had one of the tougher draws in the tournament, potentially facing Serena Williams in just the fourth round. Perhaps it was the nagging injury, maybe nerves, or the unfamiliar revamped court on Louis Armstrong. Regardless, Simona Halep can at least rest easy about her ranking, she will retain the world No. 1 after the tournament no matter who wins the slam.

Next: 25 athletes everyone hates (unless they're on your team)

Up next for Kaia Kanepi is 21 year-old Jil Teichmann from Switzerland, ranked No. 168.

The U.S. Open can be viewed on the ESPN channels and live streamed on WatchESPN.

Follow the Tennis category on FanSided for news, highlights and more from the U.S. Open.