Sloane Stephens felt mixed emotions after falling to Simona Halep in a pulsating Montreal final.
The third-seeded American suffered her sixth straight loss to Halep and dropped to 0-8 lifetime against world No. 1 players.
More: Halep Subdues Stephens in Montreal Final
Stephens said while she was disappointed by her 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4 loss, she's encouraged her level of play improved compared to her three-set defeat to Halep in the French Open final.
"Obviously upsetting that I didn't win. But I think I got better today," Stephens said. "I got better than the last final we played. Yeah, it's disappointing, but I think this will help me moving forward, getting ready to go into Cincy and the US Open. Just going to kind of take it all in, realize I did a good job this week, and I can be proud of myself for that."
Despite the defeat, Stephens improved on her 2017 Rogers Cup semifinal result.
The grit and game Stephens showed saving three championship points should serve her well during a pressure-packed August.
The US Open champion is defending 2,350 ranking points, including 2,000 points at the Flushing Meadows major.
"I think obviously a year ago when I was playing here, I was ranked 900 something," Stephens said. "This week I'm three. I think making the semis last year here was great. Then obviously making the finals here is even better. I'm playing good tennis.
"There's nothing to complain about. I hope that it keeps getting better. I hope it keeps improving. But the way that I'm playing, I mean, I hope to continue, yeah, just kind of continue on this path and I think I'll be okay."
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