America’s women’s tennis future met America’s women’s tennis powerhouse Tuesday in an Australian open quarter-final match; unfortunately, injury won out over skill.
Nineteen-year-old Sloane Stephens became the only younger American player to beat Serena Williams as the teen won a three-set match which saw Williams, already hindered by an ankle injured in her-first-round match, aggravated a back strain which silenced her explosive serve and hampered her movement, especially to the backhand.
Stephens, who had never reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, moves on to face top-ranked Victoria Azarenka in the semis.
After the match, Stephens was asked by ESPN how she came back from a set and two games down.
“I came to play,” was her response. “I was thinking to myself, ‘Things happen in a tennis match; you got down an early break, just keep fighting.’ I’m not playing a robot, so I can get some chances, I'll have times to break and things like that. I just decided I was going to fight and do whatever I could and it worked out well.”
Stephens was asked when she knew Williams was hurt, and how it affected her.
“I heard her make a noise; I was like, ‘Uh, oh, I don’t know what that is,’ but when she called the trainer, I was like, ‘Oh, there might be a little problem,’ but I just kept playing and didn’t let it bother me really.”
Stephens was asked how should we go from the biggest win of her career Tuesday to playing the biggest match of her career—her first Grand Slam semi-final—the next day. Her response showed her a lot about her character.
