<p class="title">World number one Simona Halep says there's no mystery to her historic first-round failure at the US Open on Monday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I just lost," the top-ranked Romanian said after she was blown off the Armstrong Stadium court 6-2, 6-4 by big-hitting Estonian Kaia Kanepi.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I didn't play great, but she played really well," said Halep, who became the first top-seeded woman ever to lose in the first round of the US Open in 50 years of professional-era tennis.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The mercurial 26-year-old was buoyed this year by her first Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep was raring to go at Flushing Meadows, aiming to expunge the memory of a first-round loss to Maria Sharapova last year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But it was another "one and done" for Halep in New York.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Today just was not my day," Halep said "The balance was not there. I couldn't feel myself strong on the court to win this match."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep said when the draw was revealed last Thursday coach Darren Cahill had warned her the opening clash against 2017 quarterfinalist Kanepi would be tough.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I fought for every ball," said Halep, who received a warning in the second set after twice slamming her racquet down in frustration.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I missed three balls, easy balls at 4-All, 40-15. So it's on me. I couldn't take that game, and then she served pretty well. So, yeah, I'm a little bit disappointed that I didn't make that game. Maybe I could take that second set and then you never know."</p>.<p class="bodytext">But Halep, who at least has the comfort of knowing her number one ranking is secure, insisted the defeat wouldn't haunt her.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's not a drama," Halep said. "It's just a day. It's a bad day for me. But also, she deserved to win because she was playing better than me today. So it's nothing about pressure. It was just a day."</p>
<p class="title">World number one Simona Halep says there's no mystery to her historic first-round failure at the US Open on Monday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I just lost," the top-ranked Romanian said after she was blown off the Armstrong Stadium court 6-2, 6-4 by big-hitting Estonian Kaia Kanepi.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I didn't play great, but she played really well," said Halep, who became the first top-seeded woman ever to lose in the first round of the US Open in 50 years of professional-era tennis.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The mercurial 26-year-old was buoyed this year by her first Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep was raring to go at Flushing Meadows, aiming to expunge the memory of a first-round loss to Maria Sharapova last year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But it was another "one and done" for Halep in New York.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Today just was not my day," Halep said "The balance was not there. I couldn't feel myself strong on the court to win this match."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep said when the draw was revealed last Thursday coach Darren Cahill had warned her the opening clash against 2017 quarterfinalist Kanepi would be tough.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I fought for every ball," said Halep, who received a warning in the second set after twice slamming her racquet down in frustration.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I missed three balls, easy balls at 4-All, 40-15. So it's on me. I couldn't take that game, and then she served pretty well. So, yeah, I'm a little bit disappointed that I didn't make that game. Maybe I could take that second set and then you never know."</p>.<p class="bodytext">But Halep, who at least has the comfort of knowing her number one ranking is secure, insisted the defeat wouldn't haunt her.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's not a drama," Halep said. "It's just a day. It's a bad day for me. But also, she deserved to win because she was playing better than me today. So it's nothing about pressure. It was just a day."</p>