Top seed Simona Halep has insisted that she doesn’t feel any pressure going into the US Open despite being handed a tricky draw.
The world No.1, who is yet to reach the final at Flushing Meadows, faces a series of threats from the onset. In her opening match, she will take on Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi. A player who is a two-time US Open quarter-finalist that took Halep to three sets in their only meeting back in 2014. Also lurking in her section is a possible clash with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round followed potentially by one of the Williams sisters.
“It’s a very tough, very tough draw for sure. It’s going to be a big challenge. Last year I lost in the first round, so it cannot be worse than that.” Halep told reporters in New York on Friday.
“I feel confident. I feel that I have the game to win against her (Kanepi), but she’s very dangerous. I just want to get ready for that match and put everything I have into that.”
Halep has only managed to reach the quarter-final stage of the tournament in two out of eight attempts. Last year she fell at the first hurdle to Maria Sharapova, who was unseeded in the draw. Statistically the US Open is Halep’s weakest performing grand slam to date with a win-loss record of 16-8 (67% win rate).
To add further to the Romanian’s problems, she was forced to pull out of the Connecticut Open due to a shoulder injury. An issue she believes was partly caused by playing too much tennis within a short time.
“I don’t feel the pressure. Honestly, I don’t feel it.” The French Open champion said.
“I feel it’s a big chance to get some points. It’s a big chance to make a dream that I’m able to win one more big tournament. It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. I’m just taking this tournament as important and [I’m] relaxed.”
Her achievements earlier this year contribute to why Halep is in a relaxed mood going into the final grand slam of the season. In February she returned to the top of the WTA rankings before becoming only the second Romanian woman to win a singles title at Roland Garros.
“Inside myself something changed. I’m more relaxed. I feel thankful for everything I achieved,” she explained.
“These two were my dreams, to be number one in the world and to win a Grand Slam. Always I say number one in the world without a Grand Slam, you are not a real number one.”
“After the French Open, I really started to believe that I’m a real number one.”
Halep leads the WTA rankings by more than 2000 points ahead of second place Caroline Wozniacki. She will start her US Open bid against Kanepi on Monday.
