Nicole Gibbs was all even with the Wimbledon champion, a set away from a triumphant return to grand slam tennis at the US Open.

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 fourth-seeded 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.”

The 26-year-old American was diagnosed with a form of oral cancer after a visit to a new dentist in the spring.

A growth in her mouth was noticed, though there wasn’t initially a high level of concern because it wasn’t new and had been growing slowly.

Then Gibbs got other news.

“It was on a phone call. I had been told not to really worry about the biopsy,” she recalled. “They thought it was going to be benign.

“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’.”

She had surgery in May to remove the tumour, was found to be cancer-free and was able to return to tennis in time to prepare for US Open qualifying.

She lost in the final round last week but got into the main draw as a lucky loser when another player withdrew.

But the time away from training, and the effects the recovery from surgery had on her diet, likely played a part in her third-set fadeout.

Gibbs remains without a victory on tour this season and has never been beyond the third round of a major but she’s gained confidence moving forward.