Teen Sloane Stephens has emerged as one of the top young American women in tennis. But former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic — red-hot and regaining her old form — taught Stephens a valuable lesson last night, about how much a single moment of hesitation or an ill-timed minor injury can cost at the U.S. Open.
Ivanonic rallied for a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 win at Arthur Ashe Stadium that sent her into the round of 16. It was the second straight year Stephens fell to the Serbian in the third round at Flushing Meadows, but this time the 19-year-old made her work much harder, underscoring the strides she has made in a breakout season.
“I expected a very tough match this time around,” Ivanovic said. “She’s a great player. She’s improved a lot since last year. Her serve is a lot faster and her forehand, as well. It was kind of repetition from last year. But it was tougher [yesterday].
“She’s improved so much. She has bright future ahead of her.’’
Bright enough that some tab her a natural successor to friend Serena Williams as the future face of American women’s tennis — a face already plastered in subways and around the Open grounds. The daughter of an NFL running back, the late John Stephens, and the first African-American female All-American swimmer in Division I history, Sloan inherited great athletic genes, and is making the most of them.
Stephens gutted out a tiebreaker in the first set against Ivanonic, who hadn’t been challenged for a set through the first two rounds. But the Serbian, who can be prone to mental meltdowns, proved her toughness, rebounding in the second.
“She played some great tennis. She stepped up her game. She competed really well,’’ said Stephens, adding she woke up with a minor ab strain that affected her serve. “I tried putting it out of my head. [You] just try and play through it. I gave it all I had and then some. It just didn’t work out the way I liked.’’
Whether that was partly because of the ab strain or if she just started playing more cautiously late in the second set, one thing is clear — Ivanovic had something to do with that. Granted, she hasn’t made a Grand Slam quarterfinal since her 2008 French Open title, but she has a chance to change that tomorrow.
Ivanovic fought through her own 56 unforced errors, rallying despite a crowd that was urging on the young American hopeful. And by the end, she earned a date vs. Tsvetana Pironkova for a berth in the quarters.
“She’s a great player,” Ivanovic said. “It’s definitely a good chance for me, for her. It’s great to be in a position to play for a quarterfinal. It would be a big goal of mine, so I really want to put my head down and work hard for that match.’’
Stephens will learn from this match, much closer than last year’s meeting, but maddening nonetheless. Surely some of those lessons, and advice, will come from Williams herself.
“I don’t even want to think about it,’’ Stephens said with a rueful smile. “She’ll probably just be really positive, head-up, that kind of thing.”