Stephens focused on Melbourne resurgence

MELBOURNE

— Fifth seed Sloane Stephens said she was desperate to improve her “terrible” Australian Open record after advancing to the third round at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.

The American has endured a dismal run since reaching the semifinal in 2013, exiting in the first round in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and missing 2017 with a foot injury.

But she was hopeful her fortunes are improving after posting a 6-3, 6-1 second-round win over former doubles partner Timea Babos of Hungary.

“I haven’t won a match here in how long?” she said.

“I’m kind of conquering all the places where I’ve been terrible, like Asia. I’ve won a few matches there (reaching the decider at the WTA Finals in Singapore). And here, I played well today.

“I’m putting the emphasis on starting the year on a good foot.”

Stephens had to work hard for the win over Babos, despite the deceptively one-sided scoreline.

“I knew I had to be patient; her serve is ridiculously good, so I knew I just had to hang in there and be patient,” she said of Babos. “I thought I did that well today.”

Stephens will next face 31st seed Petra Martic, potentially followed by a quarterfinal clash against second seed and 2016 champion Angelique Kerber.

The 25-year-old Stephens is seeking greater consistency at Grand Slams after strong performances last year to reach the final at Roland Garros and quarters at Flushing Meadows were offset by first-round exits in Australia and Wimbledon.

Stephens and Babos won three junior doubles Grand Slams together in 2010 and their familiarity with one another was apparent as they exchanged breaks early in the first set.

The American kept creating opportunities and was rewarded with another break to go up 5-3.

She struggled to convert her chances, requiring six break points in the next game before finally claiming the set.

Stephens converted just five of 23 break points over the course of the match, underlining a worrying lack of killer instinct that she will need for a deep run at the tournament.

There was more venom in Stephens’ second-set performance and she never looked back after snatching a break in the first game.

She also benefited from a poor display from Babos, who had 44 unforced errors and five double faults.

Sloane Stephens