Sloane Stephens defeated Tatjana Malek in three sets 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 as the young American advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open in Women's Singles.
Stephens, only 19-years-old, put away Malek with a hard forehand down the line.
It was not easy at all, but Stephens turned it up at the midpoint of the second set.
Down 2-3, she won the four of the last five games in the to win the set and tie the match 1-1.
The final set of the match was a mess for Malek and a gift for Stephens. Malek could not get her forehand in control and Stephens took advantage of this. Stephens had Malek chasing down balls from side to side. Whenever Malek had the chance to connect, she wildly swung and the ball always carried outside of the baselines.
Suddenly, Stephens looked like the player in command, as she should have been in the beginning of the amtch. Her forte all afternoon was her ability to win points at the net.
Had it not been for her unforced errors, which appeared due to a lack of focus, Stephens could have been in the showers celebrating her victory a long time ago.
Malek on the other hand, could not settle in and take advantage of Stephen's errors. The announcers predicted Malek's inability to close out the match if she could not win in the second set.
Malek came into the tournament ranked 141st in WTA rankings. Meanwhile, Sloane Stephens came into the match ranked 44th. It was not pretty, but Stephens managed to walk out of Louis Armstrong Stadium with the victory.
