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US Open 2017: Sloane Stephens advances to first Grand Slam final

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Sloane Stephens (R) of the United States shakes hands with Venus Williams (L) of the United States in their Women's Singles Semifinal match on Day Eleven of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Sloane Stephens defeated Venus Williams in 3 sets with a score of 6-1, 0-6, 7-5. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Sloane Stephens (R) of the United States shakes hands with Venus Williams (L) of the United States in their Women's Singles Semifinal match on Day Eleven of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Sloane Stephens defeated Venus Williams in 3 sets with a score of 6-1, 0-6, 7-5. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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Sloane Stephens continued her incredible summer with a victory over Venus Williams in the semifinals of the 2017 US Open.

The summer of 2017 has officially become the summer of Sloane Stephens. After missing an extensive period of time with an injury, Stephens has bounced back to experience a meteoric rise back up the WTA Tour.

As the attention turns to Stephens’ resurgent ascension, the pressure is growing with it—and she’s growing stronger with every ounce of it.

Stephens has simplified the game by keeping the ball in play and trusting her instincts. That’s resulted in a golden opportunity to compete for her first career Grand Slam title—a task that first required her to get through heavy favorite Venus Williams.

Matched up against Williams in the semifinals of the 2017 US Open, Stephens survived a classic third set to advanced to her first career Grand Slam final.

The 24-year-old Stephens will play either Madison Keys or Coco Vandeweghe in the final of the 2017 US Open.

Stephens and Williams traded relatively uneventful sets to reach a third set for the ages. Neither woman would quit on the abundance of tough points, with both hitting shots at unfathomable angles, and displaying unbelievable resilience.

In the end, it was Stephens who emerged victorious on the strength of her undying will to succeed in the face of adversity.

In turn, Stephens has become the first American woman other than the Williams sisters to reach a Grand Slam final since Lindsay Davenport in 2005.

Stephens first made waves when she reached the semifinals of the Rogers Cup. Following her brilliant run in Toronto, Stephens continued her success when she made the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

She can now add a Grand Slam final to her 2017 resume, which is looking more and more like a statement to those waiting for her in the ranks of the WTA elite.

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Sloane Stephens will have a chance to put the finishing touches on her unbelievable summer in the US Open final.

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