Simona Halep's coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, could not hide his disappointment after the Romanian's early exit from the US Open, but he remains hopeful for the future.
Halep was among the favorites for the US Open after winning the Canadian Open. She had returned to form before by reaching the semifinals of three grass court events, including at Wimbledon.
However, the two-time Grand Slam winner's level rose further at the Canadian Open in Toronto. She defeated Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to reach the final before overcoming Beatriz Haddad Maia in the final.
It was Halep's third Canadian Open title but her first in Toronto. She was especially happy to win it there since the 30-year-old received terrific support from the Romanians who live in the city.
That raised expectations for Halep ahead of the US Open, but her hopes of winning a first US Open title ended abruptly after she was stunned by the world No. 124 Daria Snigur.
Mouratoglou, who became Halep's coach during the clay court season, wrote on social media about his disappointment but also believes that trusting the process will bring success.
"Unfortunately it is the end of our US season. It ended with a big disappointment right after a great result with the title in Toronto. Whatever happens, good or bad, what always counts the most is the trust in the process, and the deep feeling of doing the right things to get where we want to be."
"Thank you Simona Halep for giving everything every single day. It is all a coach could ask for. Thank you team. Thanks to all the fans and special one to the Romanians for being incredibly supportive both in victory and defeat.Time to prepare for the next challenges."
Although a disappointing setback, Halep has certainly improved overall since Mouratoglou joined her team, and she will hope to recover strongly from exiting the US Open.