Halep hails brave Lucic-Baroni

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Halep, seeded two at Flushing Meadows, succumbed to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 defeat to the Croatian veteran, who progressed to the last 16 at a major for the first time in 15 years.

The Romanian came into the 2014 season with a personal-best slam effort of reaching the fourth round in New York last year, but it is now statistically her worst major - after reaching at least the quarters at all three grand slams this year.

Halep credited Lucic-Baroni for her momentous victory, despite coughing up a 5-2 advantage in the first set - and three points on serve to take the opener in the eighth game.

"She played really well today. I mean, after I had 5-2 and the two [three] set points, she came back really well and she started to hit every ball," Halep said.

"Everything was in for her. It wasn't my best day, but still I did everything I could on court.

"She was better than me today, so I have to just to keep working every day hard and to look forward for the next one."

Despite the result being one of the upsets of the tournament, Halep claimed she was unsurprised by Lucic-Baroni's level.

"Not really, because I knew she was hitting the balls very strong. She's tall and she serves well. So I knew that she's a good player," the French Open finalist said.

"But still, like I said, I wasn't in a good mood also. I didn't play my best today. But she deserves to win."

Lucic-Baroni will face Italian 13th seed Sara Errani for a spot in the quarter-finals, and the 32-year-old was emotional in her post-match press conference after one of the biggest wins of her career.

"It's been really hard. Sorry. After so many years to be here again, it's incredible. I wanted this so bad," a tearful Lucic-Baroni said.

"So many times I would get to, you know, a place where I could do it. Then I wanted it so bad that I'm kind of burned out.

"And I apologise again. Yeah, I'm so happy."

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