3 Angelique Kerber. 1 Iga witek. [206] At the French Open, she upset 26th seed, Sorana Crstea, in the second round. Happy to have Francis Roig . Dec 21 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens has appointed Francis Roig as her new coach to revive her fortunes, after the veteran Spaniard left Rafa Nadal's team last week,. [120] Stephens closed out the tournament by defeating Keys in straight sets to win her first Grand Slam tournament title. [89] In 2017, Stephens defeated Keys in the final of the US Open to win her first major title. He was also the one who advised her to pursue a career in tennis before she proceeded to Boca Raton to train. She won the tournament without dropping a set for her first career WTA title. "[61] Stephens improved on that result the following week with a semifinal at the Hobart International. She is now ranked 20th heading into Wimbledon, which begins . [11] She started playing tennis at the age of nine at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club, a tennis facility located across the street from her house where her stepfather regularly played and her mother was taking lessons. [80] Once again, Stephens did not have a good clay-court season, winning multiple matches in just two out of six tournaments. ", "Keys leads next generation of American women at U.S. Open", "Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys Highlight New Wave of American Female Tennis Players", "W2W4 at US Open: Advantage Madison Keys or Sloane Stephens? 3, Serena Williams. 13 and was named WTA Comeback Player of the Year. [107] After the Olympics, Stephens revealed she had been hindered by a left foot injury for most of the year, for which doctors recommended time off to recover. [157] At the first edition of the Adelaide International, she was defeated in the first round in straight sets by world No. Coach. Saviano can be said to be one of those who greatly contributed to the development of Sloane. [171] At the Australian Open, she was defeated in the first round by 26th seed and world No. Stephens and Murray went "on a break" -- in Murray's . During each tournament, she defeated four top 50 players including Lucie afov and 14th-seed Petra Kvitov at both events, and also No. Stephens started her clay-court season at the Charleston Open. This was only the fourth time in the previous 47 Grand Slam singles finals where the winner of the first set was unable to win the match. She has cited her grandfather as her hero and one of her biggest influences growing up. [52] In late April, Stephens made her Fed Cup debut in an away playoff tie against Ukraine. [26][27][28][29] Stephens also reached at least the quarterfinals in each of the singles events. The Coach and The Star Social Highlights UTS Testing Equipment The Eye of the Coach Legendary Racquets . In thecharacteristically wide-open landscape of women's tennis, Stephens will be one of many potential contenders for this year's U.S. Open, which will announce its main draw Thursday and begin play Monday. ", "A rematch we've been waiting on: Madison Keys vs. Sloane Stephens", "American pals Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys both reach first French Open QF", "Madison Keys vs Sloane Stephens Head-to-Head", "Win or lose, Sloane Stephens is back and better than ever", "U.S. Open: Venus Williams vs. Sloane Stephens is a look into past and future", "The US Open showed black women have made American tennis great again", "Once friends, Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens redefine relationship", "Sloane Stephens says she was caught off guard by Serena Williams controversy", "Serena Williams vs. Sloane Stephens Head to Head", "2018 US Open Media Day: Stephens downplays Halep 'rivalry', Wozniacki '100%', "Evert - 'I like the contrast in personalities and styles' in Halep, Stephens rivalry", "French Open final recap: Simona Halep BEATS Sloane Stephens to win Roland Garros title", "Australian Open: Serena Williams hurts ankle in easy win, while Roger Federer and Andy Murray win in straight sets", "Simona Halep beats Sloane Stephens for first Grand Slam title", "Top 5 WTA 2018 Matches (No.1): Halep bests Stephens in marathon Montreal final", "Sloane Stephens: "I am happy that I was the last person to win at Key Biscayne", "Comment: Simona Halep's Tenacity Too Much For Stephens' 'Easy Power', "Stephens' win vs. Kasatkina was another casually masterful performance", "How Sloane Stephens' Subtle Athleticism Brought Her Another Big Title", "Rule the Court Like Tennis Star Sloane Stephens", "Sloane Stephens Biography And Detailed Game Analysis", "Sloane Stephens shows you don't have to be aggressive to win a major", "Measuring WTA Tactics With Aggression Score", "Nonchalant reaction to Wimbledon loss a blessing and curse for Sloane Stephens", "Chris Evert Says Sloane Stephens Lacks Hunger", "Chris Evert On Sloane Stephens: 'I Question Whether She Has A Burning Desire', "Sloane Stephens makes late father, stepfather, U.S. tennis proud in U.S. Open girls juniors", "Stephens trying to take control of path ahead", "Sloane Stephens hires Paul Annacone as her coach", "Report: Sloane Stephens working with coach Thomas Hogstedt", "Nick Saviano To Coach Sloane Stephens; Will Start In Hobart", "Sloane Stephens and Nick Saviano Have Parted Ways", "Sloane Stephens, Kamau Murray suspend coaching partnership", "Stephens reunites with coach Murray ahead of US Open", "Sloane Stephens: Finding her Game, Finding her Zen in Charleston - Tennis Now", "AMIDST UNTOLD LOSS, STEPHENS REDISCOVERING INNER FIRE", "Tennis star Sloane Stephens swaps Under Armour for Nike", "Tennis champion Sloane Stephens, long with Under Armour, signs with Nike", "Which tennis racquets do the WTA pros use? Since then, she has risen to become a star, winning a total of 7 Singles career titles, including a Grand Slam and attaining a career highest ranking of 3. [162] After Monterrey, the WTA tour was suspended from the rest of March through July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[163][164]. Murray had spent most of this season coaching Monica Puig, who was informed "at the end of last week" that Murray was moving on, she wrote in a statement toSporting News. Serena Williams, who reached the finalsof her previoustwo tournaments, is the No. [156] Stephens fell out of the top 10 shortly before the US Open, and again afterwards. Murray also . Entering the Miami Open Sloane Stephens had lost eight of nine matches and hadn't won consecutive matches since the US Open in September. [269] In the 2015 offseason, she replaced him with Kamau Murray. [96] At the US Open, she was seeded at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time that year but lost in the first round to compatriot CoCo Vandeweghe. [85][86] She entered the Australian Open unseeded and faced a difficult draw against Victoria Azarenka in the first round. 18, Emma Raducanu, in three sets. 23, compatriot, and eventual finalist, Coco Gauff. [138] Nonetheless, this run catapulted her to a career-high ranking of No. [83] After playing in one more tournament in September, she ended her season early to recover from a wrist injury. She won her only match, a doubles dead rubber with partner Liezel Huber, as the United States won the tie 50 to return to the top-level World Group in 2013. 22 in the world. He worked alongside Othmane Garma while coaching Sloane and worked briefly with Monica Puig before reconciling with Sloane. "[131] In the coming months, she would prove to be correct, first by snapping her losing streak at her next tournament in Acapulco. On our site youll find a variety of options to continue watching and talking about famous sportsmens,tennis tournaments and tennis gear. Sloane Stephens hires Rafael Nadal's former tennis coach. The current coach and hitting partner of Sloane Stephens is Darian King. [94] Stephens closed the European season with a third-round appearance at Wimbledon. She credits her time away from playing tennis that was spent on her studies and her job with the Tennis Channel for improving her perspective on being a professional tennis player.[250]. [110] Stephens returned to the WTA Tour in July for Wimbledon, about eleven months after her last match and with her ranking having dropped to No. Top-Seed Aryna Sabalenka Battles Past Sloane Stephens at National Bank Open 2021 Round 2", "Halep claims first win since May in Cincinnati, Azarenka and Bencic triumph", "Sloane Stephens escapes with win over Madison Keys in Round 1", "Kerber beats Stephens in battle of former US Open champions", "Azarenka cruises in Chicago debut; Zidansek rolls past Stephens", "US Open champ Raducanu upset at Indian Wells; Murray wins", "Slovakia upset the U.S. at Billie Jean King Cup", "U.S. beats Spain to set up Billie Jean King Cup semifinal against Russia", "COLLINS AND STEPHENS BLAST RUTHLESS USA INTO BILLIE JEAN KING CUP SEMI-FINALS", "SAMSONOVA DOUBLES DOWN TO LEAD RTF TO BILLIE JEAN KING CUP FINAL", "Russians and Switzerland set up clash in Billie Jean King Cup final", "Emma Raducanu Rediscovers Winning Ways Against Sloane Stephens", "Stephens overcomes Bouzkova in Guadalajara, wins first title since 2018", "Sloane Stephens pulls out late from Monterrey", "BNP Paribas Open: Naomi Osaka rallies past Sloane Stephens in gusty first-round matchup", "Gauff and Rogers win, more seeded women fall at Miami Open", "Zheng Qinwen beats former champ Stephens in Charleston", "Djokovic downs Karatsev to enter Italian Open third round", "WTA roundup: Sloane Stephens bounced in France", "French Open: Sloane Stephens, Daria Saville score upsets in 2R", "Gauff, Stephens to play in all-American French Open QF; Pegula to face No. However, she got a lucky loser spot into the main draw. Stephens was the 2017 US Open champion, and has won seven WTA Tour singles titles in total. She achieved a career-best ranking of world No. [154], Outside of the majors, Stephens best performance also came on clay at the Madrid Open, a Premier Mandatory event. [190], At the first edition of the Chicago Fall Classic, Stephens was eliminated in the first round by 13th seed Tamara Zidanek. (W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (WL) winloss record. [174] In Miami, she earned her first win of the season by defeating qualifier, Ocane Dodin, in the first round. [267] At the start of 2015, she returned to her longtime junior coach, Nick Saviano. 3, Agnieszka Radwaska. [168] Seeded eighth in Strasbourg, she was beaten in the first round by Nao Hibino. [285] Moreover, Stephens has worked with Time Warner Cable as part of their Connect a Million Minds campaign to motivate the importance of education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Varvara Gracheva ousted Sloane Stephens in their quarter-final match at the ATX Open on Friday. 96, Johanna Larsson, while committing 63 unforced errors. She reached the French Open quarterfinals and third round of Wimbledon this year but struggledduring the hard court tournaments in the run up to the U.S. Open next week. 200711: Tour debut, entering the top 100, 2013: Major semifinal, Serena upset, world No. Nonetheless, she finished the year as the youngest player in the top 50 at No. Keys has said, "Sloane and I, since we were 12 and 14, have constantly been compared to each other. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. [138], Stephens is an all-court player, having reached the quarterfinals or better at all four majors. The American player, who competed in both the U.S. Open and the. 11 in the world,. "[224] Both players have been ranked in the top 10 by the WTA. [99][100] Stephens would win two more WTA titles during the season. [98] With Murray as her coach, Stephens established herself as one of the best players in women's tennis. She has never won a professional title on grass, and Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event where she has not made it to at least the semifinals. [246] Both of these wins came before Halep entered the top ten in 2014. Whereas the other leading Americans are some of the most aggressive players on the WTA Tour, Stephens has a more passive approach. Stephens also is a proficient server: she can hit first serves as fast as 110115 miles per hour and is capable of employing both first and second serves with a flat, sliced, or kick serve approach. [63][64] This was the first top-ten victory of Stephens's career and made her much more prominent. [104], In contrast to previous years where Stephens struggled at smaller tournaments while still doing well at bigger tournaments, she struggled at the Grand Slam tournaments and high-level Premier events in 2016. [270][139] Stephens split with Murray during the 2018 offseason before reuniting with him in August 2019 shortly before the US Open. No explanation was offered for the suspension of the successful coaching partnership. Kamau Murray coaching Sloane Stephens at last year's Open. I'm always cheering for her."[231]. Her favorite surface is clay, on which she was a finalist at the French Open. Congratulations to all of these ladies! 13 Ana Ivanovic in the third round and went on to reach her first quarterfinal at a Premier Mandatory event. But she was able to reach the semifinals of both Premier 5 tournaments that month, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. [195] In the semifinals tie against Russia, she lost her match to Liudmila Samsonova. Seeded second, she lost in the first round to qualifier and eventual finalist, Rebeka Masarova. After the US Open, Stephens competed at the Italian Open. She dismissed concerns about her form from the media, saying, "Everything's good. Now she's won . [15], After her stepfather's death, Stephens and her family moved back to their hometown of Fresno where her grandparents and other members of her mother's family still lived. 5 and winning three out of four major girls' doubles titles in 2010 with her partner Tmea Babos. [70] Stephens continued her Grand Slam tournament success at Wimbledon by making it to the quarterfinals, again without defeating a seeded opponent. Stephens moved to Florida to train at a tennis academy, ultimately working with Nick Saviano. Just a week before the US Open, former champion Sloane Stephens has parted ways with coach Sven Groeneveld. [219] At the Australian Open, she lost in the first round to Anastasia Potapova. [67] She played in the Fed Cup playoff tie in April and lost her only match against Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson. 5 Jeena Ostapenko in the final. 5 of '17: Stephens Emerges As Star After Beating Venus At US Open", "Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys Reach U.S. Open Final", "Sloane Stephens completes magical U.S. Open with win over Madison Keys in final", "Sloane Stephens surges past Madison Keys to win US Open title", "Venus and Serena's worthy successors have arrived", "U.S. Open 2017 Women's Final Predictions: Sloane Stephens vs. Madison Keys", "Sloane Stephens wins US Open title after straight-sets victory over fellow American Madison Keys", "50 for 50: Sloane Stephens, 2017 women's singles champion", "Strycova caps year with win as Stephens retires in Zhuhai", "USA claims 2017 Fed Cup after Belarus battle", "United States Ends 17-Year Drought With Fed Cup Victory", "Comeback Player of the Year: Sloane Stephens", "Stephens asks reporters to relax after loss to Zhang", "Acapulco: Sloane Stephens snaps eight-match losing streak", "Miami Open: Sloane Stephens beats Jelena Ostapenko to win first title since US Open", "Sloane Stephens beats Jelena Ostapenko for Miami Open title", "Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens Send U.S Into Second Straight Fed Cup Final", "All-American French Open women's semifinal has South Florida ties", "Sloane Stephens Subtly Defused Madison Keys In French Open Semifinals", "Halep lifts first Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros", "French Open 2018: Sloane Stephens' final collapse could be a turning point in her career for the better", "Vekic stuns Stephens in first-round Wimbledon upset", "Halep survives Stephens in grueling battle to win Montreal", "Sevastova stops Stephens title defense in US Open QF stunner", "Stephens slides past Pavlyuchenkova in Beijing epic", "Stephens storms past home hope Zheng in Beijing", "Steely Stephens steers past Osaka in Singapore showdown", "Stephens snaps Bertens streak, Red Group wide open in Singapore", "Stephens stops Kerber to complete Singapore semifinal lineup", "Stephens completes stunning Pliskova comeback, seals Singapore final spot", "Elina Svitolina Beats Sloane Stephens to Win the WTA Finals", "Sloane Stephens wins her first Australian Open match since 2014", "Pavlyuchenkova beats Stephens to set up quarter-final with unseeded American Collins", "Johanna Konta blitzes Sloane Stephens to reach French Open semi-finals", "Johanna Konta roars back to knock Sloane Stephens out of Wimbledon", "Sloane Stephens upset by Anna Kalinskaya in first round of US Open", "Bertens stumps Stephens to make second straight Madrid final", "Fourth time's a charm for Madison Keys, who overcomes Sloane Stephens", "Stephens out in first-round boilover, Keys rolls on", "Aussie Rodionova authors Stephens upset in Adelaide", "History repeats as Zhang stuns Stephens again at Australian Open", "SLOANE'S STRUGGLE IS REAL: NO. IBM is already working with American stars Sloane Stephens and Frances Tiafoe -- neither of whom advanced to the third round of this year's U.S. Open -- to test out Coach Advisor, using them to . She defeated three top-ten players at the event, including No. At the Auckland Open, Stephens won her first tournament with the two of them together. Tennis Time is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Stephens did not talk with her biological father until she was 13 years old, when he expressed interest in getting to know her after being diagnosed with degenerative bone disease. [189] She was defeated in the third round by 16th seed and 2016 champion, Angelique Kerber. [12][13][14] Two years after she started playing tennis, Stephens relocated to Boca Raton in Florida. Stephens's stepfather died from cancer in 2007, while her biological father died in a car crash in 2009. [60], Stephens was ready to return for the Australian hardcourt season. Azarenka eliminated Stephens for the third consecutive year. She started training under Saviano when she left Evert tennis Academy and began training at the Nick Saviano High-Performance Tennis Academy at the age of 12. Photo: Chris Smith/ Volvo Car Open. [254][255][256] Stephens has the ability to hit powerful winners as she takes large swings with her forehand. She attended several WTA events in the United States including Indian Wells, the Miami, and Charleston, where she interviewed fellow tennis players and also provided analysis. 2 seed in the WTT Playoffs. [111][112] However, she showed some signs of improvement by reaching the doubles final at Washington with Eugenie Bouchard. 4 Simona Halep in the fourth round. Sloane Stephens had to think outside of the box when it came to staying competition-ready throughout the coronavirus pandemic . Sloane Stephens is "on a break" from her coach, Kamau Murray, Murray has told the New York Times. She lost her first two matches back, one to compatriot Alison Riske at Wimbledon, and the other to No. Because Halep has dominated their matches, Stephens has downplayed their rivalry, saying, "It's not a rivalry if you don't beat the person. 270, Renata Zaraza. [214] Ranked 51 at the US Open, she lost again in the second round to world No. She has also reached a new career-high ranking at No. Sloane Stephens (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional tennis player. [16][295][296], In late 2017, Stephens graduated from Indiana University East with a bachelor's degree in communications studies. He currently coaches Taylor Fritz. In the opening round, she defeated Rka Luca Jani for her first Grand Slam tournament match win. [72] Nonetheless, her best result of the season came at the French Open, where she lost to No. [40], In the middle of 2009, Stephens participated in World TeamTennis as a member of the New York Buzz. [67][76] She finished the year at world No. [251][252][253] She sometimes flattens out her shots, even on the run, and goes for stinging winners. However, unlike the previous year, Stephens was able to win two matches on the continent at the China Open. Stephens later stated, "I kept playing when I shouldn't have,"[60] as part of an effort to try to qualify for the Olympics. To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended. [167] This match garnered a lot of praise from tennis experts. 10 Inspirational Juan Martin del Potro Quotes, Sloane Stephenss achievements with different coaches. Stephens also reached a career-high ranking of No. [142], For the second straight year, Stephens began the Asian hardcourt season with multiple losses. Here, Stephens upset No. She finally did end her season upon being diagnosed with a stress fracture. Stephens played singles for the Smash throughout the season, helping them to earn a No. According to the Aggression Score Metric, which measures a player's aggression based on how quickly they end points either through a winner, an unforced error, or an opponent's forced error, Stephens has a score of 19.4% which implies that 19.4% of her shots lead to one of those three outcomes. She lost in the first round of the Citi Open and the Rogers Cup before a second-round loss last week in Cincinnati, a disappointing stretch of matches entering what has been her most successful major tournament. [11] Although she started out at the Evert Tennis Academy for a year working with John and Chris Evert, she then moved to the Nick Saviano High Performance Tennis Academy, where she stayed for several years. Stephens' coach, Chicago native Kamau Murray, will coach . [193] She beat Nuria Prrizas Daz during the tie against Spain. Although Williams won the match in straight sets, she praised Stephens, saying she could be "the best in the world one day. [218] Seeded fourth at the Hobart International, she was defeated in the first round by qualifier, compatriot, and eventual champion, Lauren Davis. Sloane Stephens reunites with coach Kamau Murray ahead of U.S. Open. In the first tie, Slovakia beat the USA 21. Also, I like listening to Depeche Mode and walking my dog. She achieved a career-best ranking of world No. [279] She has appeared in television advertisements for Built with Chocolate Milk, a campaign to encourage chocolate milk as a recovery drink. [276] At the 2021 French Open, she wore a striking all-black outfit, despite the heat. She has no Doubles titles and has been ranked as high as 94 under the category. Another opportunity for the both of us. She switched to a new coach, Kamau Murray, under whom she returned to elite level and won three WTA titles in the first half of 2016. [108] At the time of her last WTA event of the year at the end of July, Stephens was ranked No. [92] Serena then defeated her in the fourth round, which turned out to be Stephens's best Grand Slam tournament result of the year. I am so honored to be featured among this amazing group on this year's Create & Cultivate 100 List in the Sports category! View. She became the first woman to be coached by Annacone. She lost in the first round to Leylah Fernandez. [113], By August, Stephens's ranking had continued to fall to as low as No. 9 Seed Karolina Pliskova in Straight Sets in 2R of French Open 2021", "Krejcikova routs Stephens to reach first Slam quarterfinal at French Open", "American Sloane Stephens upsets two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Centre Court", "American Sloane Stephens bounced in third round at Wimbledon by wild card Liudmila Samsonova", "Collins Conquers Stephens to Stretch Winning Streak to Seven", "INCREDIBLE! 21, Jessica Pegula.[202]. Now, Stephens has Nadal's former coach in her corner. [82], Stephens did not do well at the US Open either, losing in the second round to world No. [226][227][228][229] In spite of their rivalry, the two have looked forward to their matchups, with Stephens saying, "Every time I get to play Maddy is great. Seeded sixth, she won her seventh WTA singles title by beating Marie Bouzkov in the final. . I either write tennis articles or play tennis with my friends. [241] Her only victory against Serena came at the 2013 Australian Open when she was still relatively unknown as a 19-year-old. On Thursday she elaborated on her coaching situation and told Tennis Now that she. [200] At the Indian Wells Open, she fell in the first round to 2018 champion Naomi Osaka. Although she disliked that they were uninterested in signing autographs at a match she attended and has also commented that neither of them tried to serve as one of her mentors, Stephens has stated she developed a good relationship with the Williams sisters. [177] She ended up losing in the quarterfinals to 15th seed and eventual champion, Veronika Kudermetova. 11, 2017: Comeback, US Open title, year-end struggles, 2018: French Open finalist, WTA Finals runner-up, world No. 10, Karolna Plkov, in the second round. Around this time last year, Kamau Murray was having the. 3 after Wimbledon in 2018. [43][44] After starting the year ranked No. Sloane Stephens graduated from Indiana University East Class of 2017( Source : instagram) Further, Roger Smith started to coach her in early 2009, and she became a top-ranked junior with three Grand Slam tournament doubles titles. [248] Their next big match, the final at the Canadian Open, was ranked as the match of the year by the WTA. When the WTA Tour resumed tournament play in August, Stephens competed at the first edition of the Top Seed Open. She defeated Lucie Hradeck in her first career main-draw match before losing to the defending champion, 12th-seeded Vera Zvonareva. Stephens' results with Groeneveld were inconsistent. 198. [237] Her relationship with Serena became strained after their match at the 2013 Australian Open. 11 in the world. This loss snapped her streak of reaching the second week of every major since a third-round loss at the 2012 US Open. [134], Despite winning the second biggest title of her career, Stephens was unable to make the quarterfinals in any of her French Open preparation tournaments. Seeded 13th, she lost in the first round to Zheng Qinwen. She was eliminated in the first round by Madison Keys in three sets. She defeated No. [150][151] She also reached the third round at Wimbledon, despite having lost her previous two opening round matches there.
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