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US Open 2017: Sloane Stephens reaches quarterfinals

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 03: Sloane Stephens of the United States returns a shot during her women's singles fourth round match against Julia Goerges of Germany on Day Seven of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 3, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 03: Sloane Stephens of the United States returns a shot during her women's singles fourth round match against Julia Goerges of Germany on Day Seven of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 3, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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The United States of America will be represented at the quarterfinals of the 2017 US Open. Sloane Stephens continued her marvelous summer by securing a berth.

The summer of 2017 has been the summer of Sloane Stephens. After struggling to overcome injuries and perhaps unfairly high expectations, she built up a significant and surprising measure of momentum in the events leading up to the 2017 US Open.

After four rounds of tennis at Flushing Meadows, Stephens has proven that her recent success was far from a fluke.

Stephens, now 24 years of age, has provided one of the best stories of the 2017 US Open. She entered the event ranked at No. 83 on the WTA tour, but hasn’t let that stand in the way of her brilliant run to Grand Slam success.

With a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Julia Goerges, Stephens has punched her ticket to the quarterfinals at the 2017 US Open.

Stephens may or may not go on to win the 2017 US Open, but either way, this has been a remarkable summer for her.

This marks the first time in Stephens’ promising career that she’s reached the quarterfinals at the US Open. It’s her third quarterfinal appearance at a Grand Slam, including her semifinal appearance at the 2013 Australian Open and her quarterfinal berth at Wimbledon of 2013.

The fact that it’s been four years since Stephens last reached the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam, however, is a testament to her recent progress.

Stephens is healthy and benefiting from the rare perspective that she gained as an analyst during her time on the sidelines.

In less than one month, Stephens made a jump from No. 957 to No. 83 on the WTA Tour. She could now rise as far as the Top 60, if not just outside of it, and may climb even higher if she manages to reach the semifinals.

Stephens will now be tasked with taking on Anastasija Sevastova—who defeated Maria Sharapova in the fourth round—in the quarterfinals of the US Open.

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The question is: Can Sloane Stephens continue her summer to remember with yet another win at the US Open?

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