Stephens’ U.S. Open defence over in quarters
First, there were four break points squandered along with an early chance for the lead. Next, three more wasted. Pretty soon, Sloane Stephens’ run at a U.S. Open repeat was lost, too.
The defending champion was eliminated Tuesday, beaten by Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-3 in the quarter-finals.
“I didn’t play the big points well and you don’t win matches when you don’t take your opportunities,” Stephens said. Stephens beat Sevastova in the same round last year en route to her first Grand Slam title, but she missed numerous chances to grab an early lead in the rematch and could never get back into the match. Later, Serena Williams shook off a slow start to grab eight consecutive games and beat 2016 runner-up Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-3 for a spot in the semifinals against Sevastova, the No. 19 seed from Latvia, Williams delivered 13 aces, part of a 35-12 edge in winners. Williams reached her 36th Grand Slam semifinal and her 12th at Flushing Meadows, where she is a six-time champion. On the men’s side, Juan Martin del Potro beat John Isner to make a second straight U.S. Open semifinal and extend the Americans’ drought at their host tournament. The 2009 champion won 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 and will face topranked Rafael Nadal or No. 9 Dominic Thiem in the semifinals. Isner was trying to become the first American man to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Andy Roddick in 2006. Meanwhile for Sevastova, it seemed there would be no more tennis when she retired in May 2013, her body battered by muscular and back-related injuries. She returned nearly two years later and finally broke through on her third straight appearance in the U.S. Open quarter-finals.
“It was an amazing journey, this three, four years,” she said. Three-quarters of Arthur Ashe Stadium was in the sun on another day of more than 30 C temperatures in New York and Stephens seemed to lack some of her usual court coverage. Stephens said she had been battling a cold, but her biggest problem Tuesday might have been her serve. The No. 3 seed was broken five times in the 84-minute match. “Mentally, physically, I just wasn’t connecting. The heat doesn’t make it any more fun.” Stephens, one of the best defenders in the game, squandered all seven break-point chances in the first set, missing out on a chance for early momentum during a lengthy third game of the match. She couldn’t convert four chances to break in that game, which lasted 18 points, and Sevastova then quickly broke her for a 3-1 lead. Stephens couldn’t convert three more chances in the next game and never got another in the first set. She did eventually get close, breaking Sevastova at love to cut it to 4-3 in the second set. But Sevastova broke right back during another lengthy game, but not before Stephens made a good run at trying to become the first repeat champion since Serena won three in a row from 2012-14.