Mats Wilander admitted he was left stunned by Simona Halep’s shock US Open exit but also noted that 124th-ranked Daria Snigur has “a very unorthodox style” which made her a tricky opponent to play against. On Monday, seventh-ranked Halep exited the US Open after qualifier Snigur handed her a 6-2 0-6 6-4 loss.
Snigur, 20, was playing her first-ever Grand Slam main draw match. Going into the tournament, Halep was considered among top favorites for the US Open title. “We didn’t see it coming but Snigur has a very unorthodox style so she’s not easy to play against on a hard court especially,” Wilander told Eurosport.
“Simona looks to me like she really wants to win but maybe the drive, the need to win matches, is not quite as strong as when she was younger. Today, it was hot, it was tough, she has had some early losses in the US Open in the past – this is most probably her worst major I think.
Am I surprised, of course? Disappointing for sure.”
Snigur was lost for words after upsetting Halep
It was perfect and memorable Grand Slam debut for Snigur as everything fall into place perfectly. On Monday, Snigur made her Grand Slam debut by beating a Grand Slam champion and registering her first top-10 win.
After the match, Snigur spoke in a shaky voice as he was in absolute shock after pulling off a major upset. “I’m very happy. I want to say thanks to Simona for such a great match, it was a great experience for me – it’s impossible to play against Simona and win!
I want to say thanks to all the fans who watched our match today,” said Snigur. “I was very, very nervous but I tried to do my best. This match is for my Ukraine, for my family, for my fans, I want to say thank you to all”.
