Nicole Gibbs was all even with the Wimbledon champion, a set away from a triumphant return to Grand Slam tennis.
She couldn't pull it off.
Nor could she be too upset.
Beating cancer was already the most important victory Gibbs was going to get this year, no matter what happened against No. 4 seed Simona Halep on Tuesday inside Louis Armstrong Stadium.
"I'm definitely bummed out," Gibbs said after her 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 loss.
"At the same time I think I do have a new perspective, that it's not life and death out there. It's a privilege to be on a court like that against a player like that. I was just really trying to soak up the moment."
"So I wasn't anticipating I was nervous about it, but I wasn't anticipating that it would be cancerous. So when I got the call, you know, the doctor on the phone was kind of like, 'Do you want to come in and talk about this?' I was like, 'No, tell me now.'"
"It's tough when you don't compete. I didn't compete for two weeks. I felt tough when I was coming back, so I understand. She made the great effort today on court."