Sloane Stephens defeated and upset Serena Williams on Wednesday afternoon in the Australian Open Women's Singles quarterfinals. With the victory, she advanced to the semifinals where she will face Victoria Azarenka.
Stephens wrapped up the match after Williams walked a ball straight into the net. Stephens looked at her coach in disbelief and waived to the crowd.
For the first time in Williams' history, she was defeated by an American player young than her. Williams jumped out early with a 6-3 victory in the first set. However, following a second set injury, Stephens took advantage and made her run taking control of the match.
How did it feel?
"It's awesome. It's new, but it's fun," said Stephens on ESPN following her victory.
The action was unbelievable as an injured Williams left to get checked. The injury came after an abrupt stop at the net as she was attempting to play a short drop from Stephens. Williams' sudden stop looked to affect her bad right ankle, but in reality, she was suffering from back spasms.
Up 5-3 in the second set, Sloan let Williams get back into the game following unforced errors and a double fault. Williams eventually tied it at 5-5, but Stephens realized this match was hers. She won the second set 7-5.
Stephens then wrapped things up in the final set with a 6-4 set victory. Williams appeared to have recovered late in the game, but Stephens held her ground and the 19-year-old advanced to her first semifinals at a grand slam.
Her game plan for Azarenka? "Just play my game. Stay focused. Tough playing the world No. 1, but hopefully I come out with the win.
What does this mean for U.S. Tennis?
The United States has been looking for their Men's Singles champion for a while now. However, the torch was officially snatched after this victory.
31-year-old Williams was dominating Women's tennis since 2012 Wimbledon, but Stephens just erased any chances of this continuing at the 2013 Australian Open.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Sloane prior to this performance. Sloane took advantage of an injured Williams and displayed her strength and sheer speed on the court. There were some signs of nerves, but she didn't allow them to dominate and take over her focus.
Williams is still, in the eyes of many, the best female player on the planet, but this loss has to make her feel threatened. Stephens might have awakened more fire in Williams. For now though, her focus is beating Azarenka and advancing to the Australian Open Finals.
Oh yeah, she also hopes to add more Twitter followers. You can follow her @Sloanetweets
