Romanian tennis star Simona Halep, number three in the WTA ranking of the best women’s tennis players in the world, was eliminated in the second round of the French Open at Roland Garros.

Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni beat Halep in two sets, 7-5, 6-1, ending the Romanian’s dream of winning her first Grand Slam title in Paris this year.

This the first big surprise of the tournament, as Halep was quoted with the third chance at winning the title. Last year, the Romanian reached the final, which she lost to Russia’s Maria Sharapova.

“I think I have to accept this. I have to stay cool. It's nothing, like is not the end of the world. I just lost the tournament,” said Halep at the press conference after the match.

For Lucic-Baroni, this was the second victory over Halep, after she eliminated the Romanian in the third round of the US Open last year.

editor@romania-insider.com