Sloane rallies to oust Williams.
NEW YORK - NEW YORK - Two points from defeat against Venus Williams at the U.S. Open, Sloane Stephens summoned her best strokes when she needed them the most to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time.
Stephens was so close to defeat before taking the last three games of a back-andforth semifinal between two Americans at Flushing Meadows, edging seven-time major champion Williams 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 on Thursday night.
“It required a lot of fight, a lot of grit,” said Stephens.
At 37, Williams was attempting to become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era. She was trying to reach her third major final of this season, something she last did 15 years ago. Here’s how long and successful her career has been: Williams’ first title match in New York came in her U.S. Open debut in 1997. Stephens was 4 at the time.
“I’m honestly just honored to be able to play at the same time as her, one of the greatest ever to play our game,” said Stephens, who joined spectators in clapping for Williams when she walked off the court.
Williams was quite near to winning, ahead 5-4 with Stephens serving at 30-all. Two points away. There, they engaged in a 25-stroke point, until Stephens conjured up a backhand passing winner down the line.
“Venus knows it’s an opportunity lost,” said her coach, David Witt, “because she had it. She had it on her racket.”
At 5-all, Stephens broke with the help of a lob winner, and a full-sprint get of a short ball that she turned into a winner at an impossible angle.
“There was nothing I could do about those shots,” Williams said.
On Saturday, Stephens will meet No. 15 Madison Keys or No. 20 CoCo Vandeweghe in the first all-American U.S. Open women’s final since 2002, when Williams and her sister Serena faced each other.
Keys and Vandeweghe were scheduled for the second semifinal later Thursday night. Neither has ever been to a major final.