The US Open has banned controversial Romanian women's tennis player Simona Halep from participating in this year's tournament.

The US Tennis Association announced Halep “was automatically withdrawn” during the US Open's qualifying draw on Monday. With Halep officially out of the competition, American Taylor Townsend took over her spot in the main draw, per APNews.com.

Halep's ban from the 2023 US Open stems from her provisional doping suspension last year. The International Tennis Integrity Agency suspended her on October 20, 2022 for failing her previous US Open drug test.

To Halep's dismay, she lost to Ukraine's Daria Snigur in the first round of the 2022 US Open. To make matters worse, the drug test she took for the tournament came back positive for the banned substance Roxadustat.

The drug prompts the body to produce higher levels of the natural hormone EPO. This hormone helps cyclists and marathoners enhance their physical performance, per the European Union's medicines agency (via APNews.com).

It has been a tough uphill battle for Simona Halep in the past year 

An incredulous Simona Halep posted her sentiments on social media shortly after the results of the drug test came out.

“Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth. I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life,” Halep tweeted last fall. She added she will “fight until the end” to prove she didn't cut corners in the 2022 US Open.

Regrettably, the two-time Grand Slam winner has been fighting a losing battle.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency accused her of doping for a second time on May 20, 2023. Apparently, they discovered inconsistencies in her biological passport that resulted in the verdict.

Halep shortly tweeted she has “lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life.” She maintained her innocence and claimed she has always “been totally against any sort of cheating.”

The 2023 US Open features a women's lineup that includes Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki. It will kick off on August 28.