Serena Williams needed a
comeback to defeat Sloane Stephens, but the women's No. 1 seed survived a
slow start to earn a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
victory Monday at the French Open.
The match started with a break
for Stephens, followed by two more breaks later in the set that
concluded with a 6-1 dusting of Williams to set the tone early. Stephens
was the offensive aggressor for much of the match, but Williams
overcame with her blend of unrivaled power and athleticism to storm
back.
Stephens kept the momentum
rolling in the second set by winning her first three serves to snag a
3-2 lead, however, Williams finally earned a break of her own to take a
4-3 lead in the set. Stephens quickly atoned for the break with a break
of her own on the very next game, but one more break for Williams
eventually led to a 7-5 win that forced a third game.
Williams held serve throughout
the third set and pulled away for a 6-3 victory in the third and final
set to seal a trip to the quarterfinals. It was the second match in a
row that Williams came from behind to win. In the third round, she dropped the first set to Victoria Azarenka before taking the match in three sets.
A victory over Williams
wouldn't have been a first for Stephens, who defeated her American
counterpart at the Australian Open in 2013 in three sets. The other four
head-to-head matches between the two were won by Williams, though,
including two previous victories for Williams over Stephens earlier in
2015.
Stephens, 22, started her
tournament by defeating Venus Williams in the first round is straight
sets followed by two more straight-set victories. It is the fourth
consecutive elimination in the fourth round of the French Open for
Stephens, who doesn't yet have a Grand Slam victory in her career, but
advanced to the semifinals of the 2013 Australian Open.
Williams avoided becoming the
second victim of a huge upset in the women's singles draw on Monday,
after No. 2 Maria Sharapova lost earlier in the day to Lucie Safarova.
Williams will now advance to face No. 17 Sara Errani, who defeated Julia
Goerges 6-2, 6-2 on Monday.
Source: sbnation.com
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