If the expected path of established stars provides popular sentiment at a Grand Slam, surprises from lesser-known players can create the excitement.

And so it was in the first round of Wimbledon as Jana Cepelova, ranked 103 places lower, outclassed the No.3 seed Simona Halep 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in a see-sawing match in which she courageously seized her opportunities.

Despite dropping her opening service game and encountering some blitzing early winners from an opponent she’d never previously beaten, the 22-year-old Slovak persisted with her hard-hitting style to earn only her second win of the season. “Simona’s a very good player but today was my day,” Cepelova said.

In truth, the Slovak was helped by an erratic afternoon from the typically clean-hitting Halep, who notched 24 winners and 34 unforced errors during the two hour, 14 minute encounter. For Cepelova, there were just 16 winners and a far less costly 20 unforced errors.

Especially damaging were Halep’s seven double faults, five of them occurring in her opening three service games, helping Cepelova to steadily gain confidence. “She played good tennis,” Halep said. “She was fighting till the end. She was aggressive when she could.”

Further frustration for Halep came from the torn toenail that required treatment after the first set. Having just eked out the first set 7-5, she couldn’t consolidate an early break in the second set, the pair exchanging service breaks twice before Cepelova claimed a final one to send the match into a decider.

Halep held serve only once in the final set, Cepelova’s self-belief evident in the fist-pumping that accompanied her 4-1 lead. While Halep briefly closed the gap to 4-3, the early celebrations were justified when the Slovak held her nerve to recover from a 0-40 deficit in the final game.

There is much for Halep to contemplate, the Romanian having suffered an even bigger shock than in the second round of the recent French Open, where the 2014 finalist exited to then world No.70 Mirjana Lucic Baroni.

Having recently parted with coach Victor Ionita, Halep leaves the 2015 Championships aware that, having progressed to the 2014 semi-finals, valuable rankings points will now be surrendered.

But Halep is refusing to panic, noting that the three WTA titles she claimed early in the season show she possesses the necessary elements for success.

“At the beginning of the year I played really well and I had good results,” she pointed out. “Now I had few losses which gives me more to think too much about what I have to do on court, and that's why maybe I'm more stressed.

“My game is there. I have no problems with my game. But inside and, you know, emotionally I have to work more to take the stress out. I want to go on court and say, I don't care what I'm doing, just to go play tennis. It will come soon. I believe and I have this confidence.” 

At the same time, Cepelova must surely be considering the possibilities as she prepares for a second-round match with another Romanian, Monica Niculescu.