When Sloane Stephens walks onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, positive emotions flow through her. Memorable moments come flooding back.
“It’s like a good place,” Stephens said. “It’s a happy place.”
It remained that way for the 28-year-old in the second round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday night.
In a heavily anticipated matchup against close friend and fellow American Coco Gauff, Stephens looked nothing like the player who had recently fallen on hard times. She was consistent, her forehand was overpowering and her first-serve percentage (83 percent) was high. The result was a surprisingly easy, 6-4, 6-2 victory for the unseeded Stephens over the 21st-seeded teenager, and perhaps a sign that she is ready to put her disappointing recent past behind her.
“Obviously coming out of the pandemic, it was [a] rocky road. I think for everyone it hasn’t been too consistent for anyone,” said Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, who also reached the quarterfinals here the following year. “I think you’ve just got to ride the wave. It’s kind of coming together, which is nice.”
Stephens entered the Open ranked 66th in the world. She had been eliminated by the second round in nine of the previous 14 tournaments she participated in this year. But Stephens survived a three-set thriller in the first round against fellow American Madison Keys and she wasn’t tested Wednesday night, winning 39 of 49 points on her serve.
“I think the pressure is a little bit different when you play two people that you know well,” Stephens said, referring to Gauff and Keys. “It’s a different type of pressure. Obviously playing here at the U.S. Open and playing Americans, it’s very different. But I’m really happy with the two wins. I played good tennis to get them. I mean, it’s still only the third round of a slam so I have to keep going. But it’s nice to know that I was able to get those two wins with all the pressure and outer things happening.”
Her victory could set up a massive fourth-round showdown against third-seeded Naomi Osaka, assuming both women take care of their third-round matches first. Stephens will face the winner of the match between No. 16 Angelique Kerber and Anhelina Kalinina next.
Gauff, meanwhile, equaled her worst showing in a Grand Slam tournament this year after failing to get past the second round of the Australian Open as well. Both performed apropos of their age, which was a good thing for Stephens, but clearly not something the 17-year-old Gauff expected in her first match against her close friend.
“Obviously I have a lot of respect for Sloane, looked up to her for a while, known her since I was little,” Gauff said. “But I don’t think our relationship affected the match. … She definitely was the better player tonight.”
Stephens took the first set in a brisk 34 minutes, making the most of her one opportunity at a break point. Gauff double-faulted, giving Stephens the needed break. Stephens followed through by serving for the set, once again using her big forehand to force a Gauff error, of which there were 25 in the match.
In the opening set, Stephens’ serve was particularly strong and she held at love twice. The one time she was challenged on her serve, Stephens ripped a precise crosscourt forehand winner to pull even at four games apiece. After fighting off a break point early in the second set, Stephens cruised from there, reeling off the final five games of the 66-minute match to advance with relative ease.
Considering the dearth of American women left, and the absence of Serena and Venus Williams due to injury, it seems likely Stephens will play on the Ashe court for as long as she remains alive in the tournament.
“It’s nice to have that [comfortable] feeling, those moments to look back on,” she said.
Early on in this U.S. Open, Stephens is creating even more of them for herself.