Despite losing out on No. 1, Halep ready for US Open

It’s too bad that Simona Halep’s week at Cincinnati ended with a 6-1, 6-0 defeat because she was playing great until she ran into a hot Garbine Muguruza. It was just one of those days that spiraled out of control:

The Romanian has been solid since defending her crown in Madrid, but it’s been difficult for her to close out on other big titles. She lost the Rome final to Elina Svitolina. In the French Open final, she was overpowered in the third set by Jelena Ostapenko. Her epic Wimbledon quarterfinal battle against Brit Johanna Konta fell just short. Then Svitolina dominated her in the Rogers Cup semifinal a week before Muguruza’s demolition took place.

Three times she has needed to win just one match to gain the No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career, but each time she has come away empty handed.

"Maybe I feel the pressure and I don't realize it," Halep said. "Maybe I just played bad. I don't know what to say. But it's still there. I still have a chance, so I will work for it and maybe one day it will be there."

What will it take for Halep to get over the hump against powerful opponents in the all-important moments?

"When I feel on court that I got dominated a little bit—I felt that I cannot control the points—and that's maybe why I got a little big down in my confidence," Halep admitted.

The big-picture view of Halep is much brighter. She’s won big matches and big titles with a blend of incredible retrieving, controlled offensive angles and a lot of heart.

One thing’s for sure. Halep is right there with the very best players in the world and she’s persevered in recent months with a more positive attitude and higher consistency. As soon as everyone writes her off, she could break down the door and win a major, and perhaps as soon as next week's US Open.

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