[117] She then defeated No. Here, Stephens upset No. Stephens was the 2017 US Open champion, and has won seven WTA Tour singles titles in total. She won the tournament without dropping a set for her first career WTA title. 151, Kristna Kuov. [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. 37 in the world. Another opportunity for the both of us. Stephens was defeated by a top ten player in both semifinals, No. Whereas the other leading Americans are some of the most aggressive players on the WTA Tour, Stephens has a more passive approach. Kamau Murray coaching Sloane Stephens at last year's Open. . [160] Seeded fifth at the Monterrey Open, she got her first victory of the year by beating compatriot, Emma Navarro, in the first round. [173], Stephens losing streak continued at the Monterrey Open. [264] Nonetheless, under Nainkin, Stephens had her breakthrough tournament at the 2013 Australian Open and reached a career-best ranking of No. [24] These results brought her to a career-high junior ranking of No. From there, she continued her training in Boca Raton, where she trained at Evert Tennis Academy before she made her way to Nick Saviano High-Performance Tennis Academy at 12. [248] Their next big match, the final at the Canadian Open, was ranked as the match of the year by the WTA. Due to a rain suspension, she was forced to play the end of her semifinal match against No. Stephens, ranked No. The news was "a complete surprise" to the No. [251][252][253] She sometimes flattens out her shots, even on the run, and goes for stinging winners. 17 after the tournament. 200711: Tour debut, entering the top 100, 2013: Major semifinal, Serena upset, world No. Stephens replaced him with Paul Annacone, who is better known for coaching two of the greatest players in tennis history in Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. That is a definite contest. She played two singles matches and the decisive doubles rubber. [12][13][14] Two years after she started playing tennis, Stephens relocated to Boca Raton in Florida. [290] She was also a fan of the Williams sisters and kept a poster of Serena in her bedroom as a kid. After departing from Saviano for the first time in 2009, Sloane began working with an ex-Bahamas tennis player who turned coach, Roger Smith. [162] After Monterrey, the WTA tour was suspended from the rest of March through July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[163][164]. She finished runner-up at the Canadian Open to Halep, her second high-level Premier final of the year. Although she lost to Elena Baltacha, she rose to a career best No. Chicago will return to World TeamTennis this summer, with 2017 U.S. Open women's champion Sloane Stephens leading the expansion Smash. She has since won five of her six titles, including three in 2016, her first major at the 2017 US Open, and her first Premier Mandatory title in 2018. [174] In Miami, she earned her first win of the season by defeating qualifier, Ocane Dodin, in the first round. Sloane Stephens (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional tennis player. [33] In the spring of 2008, she received a qualifying wildcard into her first WTA Tour event, the Miami Open, where she lost her opening round match. The 29-year-old Stephens announced she's hired Francisco Roig as her new coach. 5 and winning three out of four major girls' doubles titles in 2010 with her partner Tmea Babos. Chicago defeated the Orlando Storm to earn a spot in the final, but ultimately fell to the New York Empire in a supertiebreaker. 2, Simona Halep, at the Washington Open. [93] In her only grass-court tune-up, Stephens made it to the semifinals at the Eastbourne International. "[131] In the coming months, she would prove to be correct, first by snapping her losing streak at her next tournament in Acapulco. [204] In Rome, she was eliminated in the first round by Ekaterina Alexandrova. She is one of the few black Americans after the Williams sisters that have been ranked among the World's Top 10 female tennis players. Stephens played singles for the Smash throughout the season, helping them to earn a No. She considered them to be friends when she was starting out on the pro tour, but described Serena as simply a colleague in early 2015. She defeated four unseeded players to make her first Grand Slam tournament quarterfinal and set up her second clash with Williams that month. Varvara Gracheva ousted Sloane Stephens in their quarter-final match at the ATX Open on Friday. [250] However, most of her best results have come on hard courts, including her US Open and Miami Open titles, as well as six of her seven titles in total. [56] This string of performances brought her into the top 50 of the WTA rankings for the first time. [45], Stephens started her 2020 season at the Brisbane International. Her stepfather was a competitive recreational tennis player and was her primary inspiration for beginning to play the sport. [80] Once again, Stephens did not have a good clay-court season, winning multiple matches in just two out of six tournaments. 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. [26][27][28][29] Stephens also reached at least the quarterfinals in each of the singles events. "[224] Both players have been ranked in the top 10 by the WTA. [215], Two weeks after the US Open, Stephens played at the Emilia-Romagna Open. 3, Serena Williams. 3 after Wimbledon in 2018. [177] She ended up losing in the quarterfinals to 15th seed and eventual champion, Veronika Kudermetova. [65][241] All of their matches since have been contested at high-level Premier tournaments or Grand Slam tournaments. At just 19 years old Sloan Stephens lived hers and won the 2017 US Open. A few days ago, Stephens had also announced her. This loss snapped her streak of reaching the second week of every major since a third-round loss at the 2012 US Open. However, she was able to produce her best result at the tournament, making it to the final. 96, Johanna Larsson, while committing 63 unforced errors. 21, Jessica Pegula.[202]. She dismissed concerns about her form from the media, saying, "Everything's good. The two Americans finished the round-robin in third place in their group, with only one rubber win against Spain. [148] In her final match of the season, Stephens was able to win the first set against Elina Svitolina, but ultimately lost the match. She lost in the first round to 17th seed and world No. [281][282][283], Stephens has previously signed a deal with the American Express credit card company and was formerly an endorser of the Listerine mouthwash product. [297] She finished her degree while recovering from foot surgery earlier in the year. Their two biggest matches came in 2018, both of which were three set finals. "[260][261][262], When Stephens was just starting to play tennis at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club, one of her first instructors was Francisco Gonzlez, a retired professional tennis player once ranked in the top 50. Seeded seventh, she lost in the first round to qualifier Leylah Fernandez. 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. Her mother was a swimmer in Division I history. 30 Sara Errani. 306 and lucky loser, Nefisa Berberovi, in three sets. Francisco was an ex-Paraguay tennis player who retired in 1990 after claiming 10 Doubles and no Singles. Her best Grand Slam performance was a quarterfinal loss to Johanna Konta at the French Open, where she could not defend her runner-up finish from the previous season. 44-ranked Puig, she continued. [138], Stephens is an all-court player, having reached the quarterfinals or better at all four majors. [16][295][296], In late 2017, Stephens graduated from Indiana University East with a bachelor's degree in communications studies. [145][146][147] After a dismal start in the semifinals where she lost the first eight games of the match against Karolna Plkov, she recovered and won the match in three sets. Here are the individuals that have contributed to her growth.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'thetennistime_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_4',152,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thetennistime_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Sloanes first coach was an ex-top 50 tennis player, Francisco Gonzalez, who instructed her at the Sierra Sport and Racquet Club. 11 in the world,. Nonetheless, the United States won the tie 32 to secure a place in the 2014 World Group. The American coach has worked with Sloane on two different occasions, although the second relationship was not so fruitful. Even though they only met a few times in person, the two of them developed a close relationship remotely. Seeded 26th, she won her opening two matches in straight sets before losing in the third round to third seed and six-time champion Serena Williams. 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. [63][64] This was the first top-ten victory of Stephens's career and made her much more prominent. [266], Stephens briefly worked with Thomas Hgstedt in late 2014. Stephens moved to Florida to train at a tennis academy, ultimately working with Nick Saviano. [220], Seeded second at the first edition of the Mrida Open in Mexico, Stephens got her first win of the year by beating qualifier Lolia Jeanjean in the first round. [134][225] They have also both been labelled as leaders of the next generation of American women's tennis. [52] In late April, Stephens made her Fed Cup debut in an away playoff tie against Ukraine. 11 in the world. She returned to play and win her next match, but ultimately lost in the third round. 22 US Open Doubles Finalist; Taylor Fritz was one of the first five players to benefit from the program. Paul is popular for his time with 20 times Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer and 17 times Grand Slam winner Pete Sampras. [99][100] Stephens would win two more WTA titles during the season. Darian has also represented Barbados at the Davis Cup and holds a record of 40-22 at the tournament. Stephens started her season at the first edition of the Grampians Trophy. Defending champion Naomi Osaka enters as the No. Now, Stephens has Nadal's former coach in her corner. She defeated Lucie Hradeck in her first career main-draw match before losing to the defending champion, 12th-seeded Vera Zvonareva. He was ranked as high as 34 in the Singles and 22 in the Doubles category. [175] She was beaten in her second-round match by 28th seed and compatriot, Amanda Anisimova. When the WTA Tour resumed tournament play in August, Stephens competed at the first edition of the Top Seed Open. A look at Sloane Stephens' Fresno ties", "WTA star Sloane Stephens expands youth programs in Fresno", "Tennis Pro Sloane Stephens Has Valley Roots", "Is Sloane Stephens the Future of American Tennis? [138] Nonetheless, this run catapulted her to a career-high ranking of No. During each tournament, she defeated four top 50 players including Lucie afov and 14th-seed Petra Kvitov at both events, and also No. 18, Emma Raducanu, in three sets. [288][289], Her favorite player growing up was Kim Clijsters, who congratulated Stephens in person after her 2017 US Open title. She did not return to form until late May when she reached her second semifinal at Strasbourg. 25, Jamie Hampton. She spent four years with Saviano before moving on and later reconciled with him in 2015.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'thetennistime_com-box-4','ezslot_5',153,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thetennistime_com-box-4-0'); Saviano was a former professional tennis player and popular coach known for his long-term relationship with the former worlds number 5, Eugenie Bouchard. (Elsa/Getty Images) This article is more than 3 years old. [273][274], Stephens is represented by GSE Worldwide. Williams entered the semifinal on a 20 match win streak, while multiple betting websites listed the 19-year-old Stephens as at least an 11-to-1 underdog. In contrast, Venus Williams is amongst the top 20% of most aggressive players, while Serena Williams, Madison Keys, and CoCo Vandeweghe are all in the top 10% with aggression scores above 25%. [42][17] Her only other WTA Tour win that year came at the Swedish Open in July. She demonstrated this type of mindset after her early 2014 US Open loss, saying, "I'm not gonna dwell on this. She lost her first two matches back, one to compatriot Alison Riske at Wimbledon, and the other to No. [5] Stephens's father was a Pro Bowl running back for the New England Patriots in the National Football League. [176], Stephens began her clay-court season at the Charleston Open. [17], Stephens began competing in low-level events on the ITF Junior Circuit in 2006 at the age of 13. On the contrary, Stephens has also shown the ability to use her mindset of not worrying about disappointing outcomes to bounce back from injury and poor tournaments. . [183], Ranked 73 at Wimbledon, Stephens upset tenth seed and two-time champion, Petra Kvitov, in the first round. [280] Her other health-related endorsements include doTerra, Precision Nutrition, and Colgate. Sloane Stephens, Jozy Altidore married on New Year's Day. Emma Hruby Dec 22, 2022. [45] Two of her biggest improvements came at two Grand Slam events. Tennis Interviews Sloane Stephens against Serena Williams? Their partnership grew from their friendship and is looking really fruitful.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'thetennistime_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',151,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thetennistime_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Darian has not had an exceptional senior career although his run at the ITF has been quite a feat. Serena Williams, who reached the finalsof her previoustwo tournaments, is the No. The foundation is run by Stephens, her mother, and her uncle Ronald Smith. Othmane Garma, right, and Coach Kamau Murray, have helped Sloane Stephens regain her form after a number of injuries. Darian is a Barbadian tennis player who is currently ranked 402 in the Singles and 282 in the Doubles. Who is Sloane Stephens coach? 1, Victoria Azarenka, she rose to a career-high ranking of No. [102] During the semifinals of this tournament, she defeated No. [105] She also lost in the first round of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year, this time to a qualifier. She started training at the Evert Tennis Academy, owned by John Evert and run by his sister, Chris Evert. Stephens had frequently been regarded as a potential successor to Serena Williams to become the next top American women's tennis player, if not the best in the world. Stephens started her clay-court season at the Charleston Open. [143][144] She then closed out the season by participating in her first WTA Finals in Singapore. 8 seed. [287] Stephens is of Trinidadian descent through her maternal grandfather Noel Smith, who came to the United States from Trinidad to pursue a career as a doctor. [136][137] Despite going up a set and a break, Stephens lost the final to world No. [67] With Serena entering the match in excellent form and also having defeated her much younger opponent earlier that month, Stephens was listed as high as a 16-to-1 underdog. 2, Maria Sharapova. Kamau is arguably the most successful coach of Sloane so far since he led her to her highest career ranking and five out of the seven career titles she has won. She then reached her first WTA semifinal at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. They played for a third time in 2021 at the US Open and Sloane prevailed in a third set tiebreak. Murray coached Stephens from 2015 until the end of the 2018 season, a span that included Stephens' unseeded run to the 2017 U.S. Open title, the first and only Grand Slam championship of her career thus far. My whole life is about tennis. Sloane Stephens (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional tennis player. [37][38][39] During the summer of 2008, Stephens won her first professional title in doubles at a low-level $10K event in Wichita alongside partner Christina McHale. With Colgate, Stephens is a part of their Bright Smiles, Bright Futures campaign that focuses on educating children about oral hygiene. It called the split "amicable . While the 2017 US Open champion, 29, has had quite the packed . [7], Smith left Stephens's father after his multiple arrests in 1994. Kamau Murray (left) coaches Sloane Stephens but that's not his only job. She was eliminated in the second round by compatriot, seventh seed, and eventual champion, Danielle Collins. [157] At the first edition of the Adelaide International, she was defeated in the first round in straight sets by world No. To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended. I am so honored to be featured among this amazing group on this year's Create & Cultivate 100 List in the Sports category! 3 Garbie Muguruza, and 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. Stephens reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, securing her first match wins at the tournament since 2014. Roger, who only recorded three (3) Doubles titles during his career, led Sloane to 3 Doubles Grand Slams titles as a junior player and into the Worlds Top 100.
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